Monogamy
by LoveShinobi-Angelv
Summary: AU. Though we don't always like what fate has in store for us, everything happens for a reason. Gaara and Sakura just can't seem to figure out why.
1. Annual Meeting

**LoveShinobi ****A/N****: Hello, hello everyone! Here is another wonderful story written by Angelv and myself. Actually the main idea about Dragons was from me, I had started writing it a couple years ago but never really finished it and so we decided to do it together and make it amazing! I really hope you all enjoy this, and I know we haven't posted anything in a long while but I assure you it is only because we don't want to post a story we are not done with! And we have tons of them in the making so you are going to be in for a real treat!**

**Angelv ****A/N: ****Hello everyone! I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update, but LoveShinobi and I have been BUSY. The past couple of months we have been working on five, that's right, FIVE different stories. Although, only one of them is actually a finished work lol, but no worries, we always deliver. But anyways, let me know what you guys think about this story, reviews always make my day and give me reason to update once more! Hope you like it! ^^**

**Please enjoy the story! And of course, review!**

**Monogamy**

_Chapter One_

-Annual Meeting-

"Little brother, I'm so glad that you could make it! I know how far west your palace is." A tall, slender redhead smirked, rising from his decorated golden throne. "And you even made it early." He said with a haughty laugh, his light brown eyes never leaving the pale jade before him. There was another redhead in the room, standing on the central red carpet that led from the two large double doors to the throne. Shadowed eyes followed the elder as he approached.

"Of course I came, Sasori. It's required, if you don't recall." Gaara said simply, a frown setting on his face.

Sasori shrugged. He was dressed simply for a king, but that was because his guests wouldn't be arriving for some time. All he had on was a loose black shirt with long sleeves, and black pants tucked into dark brown leather boots. "Where's Niro?"

Gaara sighed, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. He was dressed more knightly, with a black tunic that buttoned together near his neck, its long sleeves rolled up to his elbows. It stopped just above his knees and underneath he had on white tight pants that went into his black leather boots that stopped just before his knees. There was a thick belt around his waist, and a sword secured at his side. "Outside, eating his fill. I do live the furthest, as you said yourself."

The two stared at each other for a moment until one of the doors on the side of the throne room opened and a dark haired man walked in, followed by someone who looked very similar to him. "Your Highness." The elder spoke. "Lady Sakura is on her way and Lord Neji is getting Metsuki settled in with Niro." He announced. He had deep charcoal eyes and jet black hair that was tied in a tight pony tail at the base of his neck. His clothes were similar to Gaara's, only he wore a black cloak with the crest for his house tying it together, as a symbol of his superior rank among the dragon riders.

Gaara's jade gaze focused on the man. "Itachi." He said sharply, his arms crossed tight over his chest.

The Uchiha looked over at the redhead. "Gaara. I trust the weather wasn't rough flying in?" he asked, raising a brow.

The redhead rolled his eyes, and so the silent battle began. The worst day of the year couldn't have started off any better. First he had to see his arrogant brother, who happened to be the king of the entire country, and it was a big country. Second, Itachi was once again treating him like he was still a kid. The fact that Itachi was the leader of the dragon riders didn't mean squat to Gaara. Because the second Sasori died, he would be ahead of him, putting the Uchiha in his place. But of course, he had to play nice. "It wasn't too bad. The winds are starting to pick up." He said casually.

The double doors to the massive hall opened suddenly, and in walked reason number three this was the worst day of the year. Hyuuga Neji. The Southern dragon rider. He wasn't as bad as Itachi, but he was pretty darn close. Following behind him silently was his cousin, Hyuuga Hinata. She was extremely beautiful, with long dark hair and soft lavender eyes. She and Neji looked vaguely similar because of those eyes. Neji had his long chocolate brown hair tossed behind him, dressed similar to that of Gaara and Itachi. He stopped when he was a mere three feet away and greeted them a bit coldly. "Your Majesty." He bowed to Sasori and then looked at the other. "Lord Itachi. Gaara." He gave a sharp nod.

Itachi nodded in return. "Has Lady Sakura landed yet?" Itachi asked. He wanted to begin this meeting as soon as possible. Because the sooner it started, the sooner it ended.

Neji shook his head, looking back at Hinata as if to signal to tell them what they knew. She stepped forward, clearing her throat, which did nothing to increase the volume of her soft voice. "We got a message that Lady Sakura had to deal with some issues concerning her new squire. He seems a bit…unlucky."

"So she's going to be late. Again." Gaara stated, looking at the woman, making her shrink back.

"Y-yes Lord Gaara." She nodded.

He scoffed. "When is that woman going to get someone who can actually do something right?"

Neji just rolled his eyes. "Where is your squire Gaara? He seems to be missing."

The glare off began between the two men. "He isn't missing, he's taking care of Niro. Feeding him and whatnot. I don't trust anyone other than him to do it. Plus Niro ate the last five servants that tried to get near him."

Itachi just crossed his arms in impatience. The only reason he never had trouble with his squire was because it was his younger brother, Sasuke. His dragon was not only tolerant of him, but Sasuke was bound through family to serve him until the end of his days. And this way he could keep an eye on his younger brother to keep him out of trouble.

About fifteen minutes later footsteps could be heard, and a blonde man burst through the doors, flying through the air. He had brilliant blue eyes and was wearing a bright orange tunic with black pants and boots. He hit the floor with a thud, scrambling to get to his feet as a tiny pink haired woman entered. She wore tight black leggings and dark brown boots that came up to her knees. Her tight shirt was a crimson red and had no sleeves, the top scooping low across her neckline. She had a skirt of the same material that flowed down just past the tips of her boots, and slit all the way up both sides to her hips to allow for easy movement. Her belt matched her boots, and her sword hung loosely from it. On her arms she wore two bracers made out of hard leather, in order to protect them should she be in a fight. Wiping her short pink locks out of her face, the woman stomped over to her manservant and picked him up by his collar so that they were eye level, angry emerald clashing with frightened blue.

"You idiot!" she yelled, shaking him furiously. "When I tell you not to lean over the side of the dragon when you see something shiny, don't do it! Because next time I'll just let your sorry ass fall to its death. Understand me?" she asked, shaking him once more for good measure. He nodded vigorously.

"Y-yes Lady Sakura! Just please don't punch me again!" he said, flinching as she brought him a fraction of an inch closer. Then she dropped him, and he fell to the floor once more. She stared down at him and crossed her arms.

"You'll be lucky if that's all I do to you. Now go tend to Taira, she's flown hard, and putting up with your stupidity this entire trip has upset her. If she eats you it's your own fault." When he just sat there dumbly for a minute she growled slightly. "Move!" she ordered, causing him to quickly run out of the hall. Taking a deep breath and calming her features, she lowered her arms and turned to the other occupants of the room, bowing at the eldest redhead. "Your Highness. Lord Itachi, Lord Neji." She greeted. "Gaara." She said, her disdain evident in her tone.

And there was reason number four. Sakura. "Lady Sakura." everyone nodded to her, aside from Gaara. He gave her a sparing glance and then looked off.

"About time you got here woman."

"Not like you had anything better to do than wait for me anyways." She replied with a smirk, and then turned to Sasori. "I do apologize if I inconvenienced _you_, my Lord. New squires are just so difficult to train the first week or so." She said, her voice softening a bit.

"There is nothing to be sorry about my dearest Lady." Sasori said, stepping forward and taking her hand, lifting it. He kissed her hand and gave her a thoughtful smile, both ignoring the furious younger redhead.

Sakura returned his smile a bit shyly. "All in the same, I was upset at the knowledge that I was going to be late. It has been so long since I saw you last after all."

Gaara quickly snatched Sakura's hands from his brother and gave his elder a hateful glare. "Do you mind if we continue?" he asked, sounding more than a little angry.

Sasori snickered, looking over at Itachi. "Of course. Let us adjourn to the meeting room." He gestured, heading out of the room. Neji and Hinata followed quickly, as did Itachi and Sasuke. Gaara glanced back and realized he was still holding Sakura's hands. He released them immediately and looked away.

"Sorry." He muttered, before following the others. She looked from her hands to his retreating back, and as if snapping from a daze, ran to catch up with them.

They left the throne room and walked down the hall, entering a smaller room with a round table in the center, four chairs situated around it. There was a map of the country engraved into the table, and Itachi was sitting at the top while Neji took his spot at the southern part of the table. Gaara went and sat down in his own seat, which was on the west side of the map, and Sakura did the same, sitting across from him. Sasori sat at the front of the room, looking out the large bay windows. "So, how are thing in my country of Illium? I assume things are going well, since I haven't heard anything bad."

Neji cleared his throat and looked at Itachi. "Things in the south are doing fine. There have been quite a few rebel groups trying to sneak in through the ports, but it hasn't been anything I can't handle."

Itachi nodded and looked to Sakura, signaling that it was now her turn. She shrugged slightly. "Same old in the east. A few bandits here and there. We did have a trafficking problem, but I took care of it quickly."

"Trafficking?" Sasori asked, raising a brow.

She nodded. "Of women. It had been going on for a month before I caught wind of it, but it was easy to find and infiltrate their base once I allowed them to catch me. Suffice it to say, it's no longer a problem." She said with a triumphant smile.

"Very impressive, Lady Sakura. You always seem to have a hold on things." Sasori smirked, letting his suggestive brown eyes meet her beautiful emeralds. Gaara just rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair and tapping the table irritably. Today was definitely turning out to be terrible, just as he predicted. It was annoying enough he had to deal with all four of them at the same time, but it was just sick when his brother flirted with Sakura.

"Thank you, Lord Sasori. Your compliments are most appreciated." Sakura said, batting her long lashes. Itachi let an irritated look come to his face, and settled his gaze on Gaara, wanting the redhead to speak in order to stop the disgusting scene before him.

"Anyways." Gaara snapped rudely, glaring at Sakura for a moment and then focusing on Itachi. "Inside our walls the west has been fine and fruitful. The crops are coming in and trade is up. Along the walls on the other hand, Narda had been increasing its attacks. It seems they are very desperate to break through. But for now they have been subdued. I have left one of my most trusted knights in charge, and I believe he can handle anything that does happen while I am away."

Sasori nodded, not looking too pleased he had been interrupted, but there would be time with Sakura later. "Nothing has really been happening in the north. There was an assassination attempt, but the small band of conspirators was easily disposed of." Itachi said.

"Excellent. I'm glad nothing has been too troublesome for any of you." The elder redhead stood, as did the other three. Gaara remained sitting, uncaring, resting his elbow on the arm of his chair and propping his head up. He finally looked up from the map at the others and sighed, standing slowly. "Gaara." Sasori glared, he could only take so much of his younger brother's disrespect. "Must you be so arrogant?"

"I dunno Sasori, must you be such a lecherous pig?" he glared back, dismissing himself from the table.

Sakura gave Sasori an apologetic look, but left the room. She wanted to check on Taira and make sure her idiot of a squire hadn't done anything wrong in tending to her dragon. She made her way to the stables, as they were called, although they were large enough to be a separate castle, so that it could house the dragons. She walked through the large doors and went straight to the pen where Taira was being kept. "Hello love. Did Naruto tend to you properly?" she asked, rubbing the large beast's cheek. The pale pink dragon rumbled low in her throat, showing her discontent.

'_That moronic squire of yours won't let me go see Niro. I'm going to kill him.' _Sakura heard in her mind. She could feel some of her companion's irritation, and decided to take mercy on her.

"Be nice, if anyone gets to kill him it's me. I'll take you to see him. But try to control yourself, especially if Gaara is there. I don't like feeling that way."

'_You two really should get over yourselves. You'd be a lot happier.'_

"I didn't ask for your advice." The pink haired woman stated, trying to ignore her dragon's comment.

'_But you need it.'_ Taira said smugly.

She opened the pen and was immediately scooped up by her dragon, who quickly made her way to a large field filled with cattle, where Niro was 'grazing'. Sakura was sat on the ground, and Taira made her way over to the larger red dragon, halting a bit away so as not to encroach on him while he was eating. She bowed her head and let out a low hum, showing him respect in asking if she could come closer. The blood red dragon slowly lifted its large head, twisting his thick neck around to see who had dared intrude upon his time. There was a loud roar of recognition and he immediately bounded over towards the smaller feminine dragon, pressing his head against hers. He let out a low purr, the telepathic connection beginning instantly with their touch.

Gaara sat up from his laying position on the soft grass. He grimaced, seeing the two and feeling everything they felt. But that wasn't what upset him. If Taira was here, then that meant Sakura couldn't be far off.

Her emerald gaze landed on Gaara and she frowned. Because of the dragons, she felt compelled to walk over to him and be with him. But she resisted. She would not let their dragons' feelings for each other affect her. She refused. Taira and Niro now had intertwined their necks a bit and were nuzzling. Sakura felt warm inside, and every fiber of her being demanded that she go to Gaara and submit to him. She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to soothe the ache, and bit back a whimper. The aching pain suddenly vanished and she felt herself land flush against a hard chest. When she looked up at Gaara he glanced off. "It hurts more to fight it." He reasoned, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around her.

He didn't like his connection with his dragon at times like this. When Niro was with Taira, he needed Sakura, felt like he needed to protect her. He sighed. The infatuation between the beasts was sometimes almost unbearable. Sakura laid her head against his shoulder, deciding to make herself comfortable if they were going to have to stay this way while their dragons caught up. She unconsciously licked her lips as Taira began to clean the blood from her mate's mouth. The only thing keeping her sane was the knowledge that she could leave tomorrow. Because after tomorrow she had no reason to stay.

At the thought both dragons roared out in rage, wrapping threateningly around their companions. Gaara released Sakura immediately, drawing his sword quickly as Niro snapped at him. "Niro! Stand down!" he glared. The dragon glared back disdainfully.

'_Make Lady Sakura stay._' The dragon ordered silently.

"I can't make her stay Niro." Gaara replied aloud, the eye contact between the two not breaking.

'_Can we please stay? I never get to see Niro.' _Taira pleaded, cooing softly.

"We should get back as soon as possible. There are things that must-" she stopped when her dragon snapped at her and growled lowly.

'_There is nothing that must be done. You took care of it all. Quit making up excuses because you are afraid of your feelings for Lord Gaara.'_

"They aren't mine!" she yelled, crossing her arms.

Niro moved his head around his master and nudged Sakura towards Gaara, letting his hot breath be an indicator that she should comply. She glared at the large beast, but moved until she was standing next to the redhead. Her posture indicated though, that that was all she was willing to do. Taira did the same to Gaara, nudging him towards her mistress. He grumbled, taking the spot next to Sakura and crossing his arms in protest. Taira gave him another forceful shove, making him knock into Sakura. "Would you cut that out!" the redhead glared back at the dragon, steadying himself and Sakura before they fell over. He looked at her then, having his hands on her shoulders as the world seemed to melt away. She really was very beautiful…

"Niro!" Gaara snapped from the daze, glaring at his own dragon.

The sound emitting from the large dragon sounded suspiciously like snickering.

'_What? I didn't _do_ anything.'_

Gaara just let out an irritated sigh. He hated how much influence his dragon had over his emotions. He looked back down, meeting Sakura's gaze once more, and he could slowly feel the off emotions starting to surface. 'I don't want this…' he said to himself, trying to repress the wave.

Sakura leaned closer to Gaara as she got lost in the beautiful jade depths of his eyes. Perhaps…if she leaned a little closer, he would kiss her. She wondered what it would be like to press her body against his…She shook her head a bit, trying to clear the feelings. She knew that Taira was trying to influence her, but a part of her didn't want to fight it. To her surprise, Gaara leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. They were so close, he could feel her breath and she his.

"Lady Sakura!" a voice called.

The two separated instantly, looking fairly alarmed at how close they had actually gotten. Both dragons straightened and loomed over their masters, growling dangerously at the man approaching them. Gaara's glare was back in place as Sasori stepped closer. "My dear Sakura, there you are. I've been looking everywhere for you."

Gaara frowned, stealing one last look at the pink haired knight before resting his hand on Niro's side. "Come on." he said softly, actually looking sullen. The two started off, but only the red dragon looked back, groaning out for his companion.

Sakura watched them leave, her dragon's sadness filling her. Taira called after him, and then looked down at the one who dare ruin her reunion. She and Niro had been so close to getting their masters to kiss. Sending her dragon an irritated look, she turned her attention to the man before her. "Lord Sasori, to what do I owe this visit?" she asked.

"I was simply wondering if you would join Itachi and me for lunch. I think Sasuke is coming too. After all you did travel a long way." He smirked, taking a daring step forward, lifting his hand and resting it on her shoulder.

Taira growled threateningly at the redhead and snapped at him, causing him to remove his hand from her person. "Taira!" Sakura scorned.

'_Nobody but Lord Gaara has the right to touch you so familiarly, king or not.'_

"Oh it's quite alright my Lady. Dragons are very territorial." He smirked, offering her his hand. "Shall we?"

She took his hand and smiled at him. "Certainly." She said, giving her dragon a meaningful look. As she watched the two walk away, Taira formed an evil plan. While her mistress was at lunch, she was going to go see Niro. That way, while Sakura flirted with her Lord's brother, she would feel guilty about it. Those thoughts in mind, the pink dragon headed in the direction her mate had gone, knowing he would be all for that plan.

* * *

"Oh Sakura!" a blonde, dressed in a very elegant green dress called from down the hall. She grabbed her dress and hurried towards Sasori and Sakura. "Brother, you didn't tell me Sakura was already here!" she took the pink haired woman's hands in her own and smiled happily. "I've missed you Sakura. What's it been, a whole year?"

"Yes it has Temari. How are you?" the pink haired woman asked, smiling genuinely.

She looked past her friend and then at her elder brother, seeming to grow more confused as the moment went on. "Why are you with Sasori and not Gaara?"

"Because Gaara left me, and Sasori was kind enough to offer his company." Sakura replied, somewhat miffed that he had ditched her.

"And it happened in that order?" the blonde asked, arching a delicate brow.

Sasori just rolled his eyes and continued ahead, since he was hungry. After all, he was the king, and nothing hindered him from getting what he wanted. Well…almost nothing. "Pretty much." She replied, following Sasori down the hall. It had been a while since she had eaten, and the thought of real food excited her. Temari followed, since of course it was her lunch she was throwing for their guests. When they entered the room, Sasori sat down at the head of the long table and Temari took a spot beside him.

"Here Sakura." the redhead smirked, gesturing to the other free seat that was beside him and between him and Itachi. She smiled at him and sat down, not unaware that to be seated next to him was a spot of honor.

"Thank you." She replied. Then her smiling gaze turned to the dark haired man on her left. "How have you been as of late Itachi?"

"I've been doing well, thank you Sakura." He said, taking a drink of water.

"That's nice to hear. Where is Neji?" she asked, noticing that the brunette was absent.

Just as his name was mentioned the brunette came in, accompanied by his cousin and a lovely brunette. "I'm right here Sakura." He said, sitting down with his cousin and the other woman on the other side. "A pleasure to enjoy this fine meal with you." He nodded, taking his glass of water and sipping at it.

"The pleasure's all mine Neji. I was worried for a moment that you would skip out the way Gaara is." She said, smiling at him.

Sasori and Itachi laughed together. "Gaara always misses these encounters, this isn't anything new my Lady. After all, you should know very well how he is."

"It's not like anyone wants him to come anyway." Neji said sharply, setting his glass down and leaning back in his chair. "He's always in a foul mood, so why ruin the afternoon?"

"I quite enjoy my brother's company." Temari said boldly, getting a silencing look from the Hyuuga. "I only get to see him once a year because of you men's irritating quarrels."

"Please. Gaara should stop acting like a child." Itachi said, cutting into the plate of meat that was set before him.

It was then that the brunette beside Neji spoke up. "I find Lord Gaara's behavior quite acceptable. At least he doesn't pretend to be nice. It shows something deep within his character."

Sakura gave her a contemplative look, finding truth in the woman's words. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting. I'm Sakura, and, you are?" she asked, giving the woman a friendly look.

"Oh forgive me Lady Sakura," she touched her fingers to her chest elegantly, as if embarrassed. "My name is Tenten. My family has governed over the Ceris Providence since Illium was formed." She smiled warmly.

"Ah yes, I have heard of your family. A pleasure to meet you." She said.

Temari, growing bored with the conversation decided to speak up then. "So who's ready for the party tonight?"

"Hn." Was all Itachi said as he took a bite of his food.

"I'm really excited for the party Temari. Did you plan it this year?" Sakura asked, beginning to eat her meal.

She beamed excitedly, "You know I did. It was a mistake letting Kankuro do it last year. Simply awful." She shivered, taking her spoon and sipping her soup.

Neji looked over at Sasori and then at Sakura. "So, I heard your dragon was trying to force you upon that arrogant, ungrateful prince."

She blushed slightly at the memory, but nodded. "It's not anything different than what she and Niro try every year. They were trying to get me to stay past tomorrow."

"Well why not?" Sasori interjected. "It's a shame that because of my brother I am only subjected to your presence once a year as well. You should stay." He nodded.

"Sasori has a point. That way your dragon will be appeased by getting to see her mate, and the rest of us can see you. Nobody said you had to spend your whole visit with Gaara." Itachi explained, taking a drink.

"I suppose when you put it that way I could stay for a while longer." She said.

Temari sighed, "I hate to burst your bubble, but what makes you think Gaara will stay another day? He hates all of you." She pointed out, poking a hole in their plan.

"I'm sure his dragon will coerce him into it once he learns Sakura is staying. And even if he doesn't, who cares? That is no reason for Sakura to leave. All the more reason for her to stay." Sasuke said, finally speaking up. He didn't really care for any of the people here, but the pink haired rider had always been nice to him on the rare occasion that they spoke, and he thought it unfair that she was stuck with someone who didn't want her for the rest of her life.

"Well," Sasori said simply. "We shall see, won't we?"

* * *

Gaara stared out at the mountains near the central palace. He had taken a spot on one of the turrets around the castle. Niro was curled around him, his head hanging off the edge of the stones.

'_I miss Taira. And Lady Sakura._'

'Please shut up.' Gaara thought, grimacing. He really didn't want to do this right now.

'_I don't understand why you left her there with your brother. You know how he gets. You should be more protective of what is rightfully yours._' Niro closed his eyes and let out a puff of smoke.

Gaara did the same and leaned against his dragon's warm side. 'She can do as she pleases. I'm not a dictator, and she's not my slave.' He thought angrily.

'_Still…_' Niro stopped and perked his head up, looking into the sky. Gaara glanced up as well and went wide eyed, rolling out of the way before Taira landed on him. He pressed his back against the edge of the turret and watched in shock as the two nuzzled against one another. '_My love…_' Niro purred.

The redhead rolled his eyes, it was only in these moments where he could hear Sakura's dragon, when she was in tune with his own. 'Taira, you need to be more careful.' Gaara said in a commanding tone.

'_I knew you would get out of the way, and if not I would have adjusted my landing, so no harm done.'_ She told him, purring in tune with her mate. _'Besides, you should be with my Lady, protecting her from that arrogant man who dares think he can touch her and get away with it.'_ She grumbled, showing her displeasure.

'Sasori is the king, Taira, remember? The king _always_ gets what he wants.' He explained, but both dragons could feel the silent fury that was hidden beneath the words.

Niro pressed his snout against Tiara's and let a bit of fire emit from his mouth, '_My master is oblivious to the fact it actually bothers him that Lady Sakura flirts with other males._' He explained.

Gaara glared at the two. 'I am not oblivious! There's no bother, and there is nothing but un-care. She's a dragon rider and she can do whatever makes her happy.'

'_If you actually paid attention to her, you would know that it doesn't make my mistress happy. She is merely diverting the attention you claim to not want to others, and your brother is a willing recipient.'_ The female dragon explained, fluttering her wings a bit. _'Besides, she only ever flirts with other males when you are around.'_

"Then she clearly just likes to annoy the hell out of me on purpose." He snapped, finally speaking aloud. He stood then and moved around their bodies, lifting the wooden door. "Now leave me alone and stop prodding around in my mind." He ordered, making them both growl. He slammed the door shut and headed down the stone steps. He pushed open the door to the turret and almost collided with someone. "Sakura." He actually gasped, a bit wide eyed.

"Gaara." She replied, equally surprised. "Are Niro and Taira up there?" she asked, looking to the stairs and then back at him.

"Uh yes…but I wouldn't go up there if I were you…they are being intrusive…as always." He said, finally getting his face to relax into its normal stoic expression.

"Hm. I can tell. I started to feel funny at lunch and had to excuse myself in order to come find you. It seems I'm not allowed to enjoy myself unless you're around." She said, crossing her arms.

He just frowned. "Hilarious." He said, taking her stance and words for sarcasm. "Well if you'll excuse me." He bowed his head respectfully and pushed past her, back towards the palace.

Her brow furrowed, not understanding his behavior. Why did he always have to leave her? She went up the stairs, her confusion still evident when she joined the two dragons, who were snuggled comfortably with each other. 'I hope you two are happy, because I'm not.' She thought, somewhat bitterly.

They both looked at her, '_Mistress,_' Niro began, craning his neck and looking back to see his own master walking off. He turned back to the fair knight and pushed his snout against her cheek. '_Why do you always allow your master to leave?_'

She reached out and rubbed his nose, smiling at him sadly. 'Why would I follow him if it is clear he no longer wants to be in my presence?'

'_And you know that for sure?_'

'Why else would he continue to leave me?' she asked. Taira turned and looked at her.

'_Perhaps you should give him a reason to stay. You should have followed my advice long ago and just mated him. That would definitely get rid of all the tension between you two.' _

This caused Sakura to blush in embarrassment. 'I highly doubt that would have helped anything. Besides, I don't love him the way you love Niro, I could never. And he hardly touches me as it is.' She complained.

'_You hardly touch him._' Niro curled his head around the two protectively. '_You always think it is my Lord's fault that you are so unhappy. It is a two way road._'

She absentmindedly began to scratch Niro near his ear, knowing that he liked it when she did, as she thought about what he had said. "Would he even want me to?" she asked aloud.

'_You never know until you try.'_ Taira advised, nudging her in a comforting manner.

Niro arched comfortably, staring at her through his one visible golden eye. '_What's the worst that could happen? It's not like he could possibly treat you any worse._'

Sakura smiled at this, and settled herself comfortably between the two dragons. 'I don't know why Gaara complains about you two, I find your company enjoyable. When you aren't being too pushy.' She chided, patting both of them affectionately.

Taira rumbled low in her throat as she rested her head on her mate's side. _'We could always make it worse, but Lord Gaara is more fun to tease.'_

'_More fun to tease my dear?'_ Niro said lowly, sounding tired. '_My Lady here is just too reasonable, while Master Gaara is stubborn and idiotic. I believe he enjoys self-inflicted pain._'

Sakura chuckled, patting the large male. 'I'm going to go get ready for the party tonight.' She told them, rising and walking over to the latch. She looked back at the two dragons and smiled. They looked so adorable together. 'And Taira, you'll be happy to know that I have decided to stay for a while longer.' She said, causing the pink dragon to look at her sharply with her golden eyes.

'_Really?'_ she asked happily, her mood brightening. _'You mean I can stay with Niro?'_

She nodded. 'As long as you convince Gaara to stay. But while at lunch Neji and everyone made a good point. I would like to spend more time with my friends.'

'_I don't have to convince my master._' Niro grumbled. '_I just won't let him get on to fly home._'

She smiled. 'And that's why I love you Niro.' She said, heading down the stairs. Taira nuzzled the male dragon, fully settling herself against him.

'_It's why we both love you.'_ She purred, closing her eyes as she basked in the combined warmth of her mate and the sun. Niro curled his head around hers and closed his eyes as well, enjoying his cohort.

'_Who knows how long we might actually get them to stay._' He thought to her, stretching out his massive wings and covering her with them.


	2. Party

**Monogamy**

_Chapter Two_

-Party-

Sakura looked at herself in the mirror one last time before making her way to the party. She had decided to wear one of her newer dresses that a Lord in the east had given her as a thank you present for saving his daughter. She wasn't too sure about it though, since she was more comfortable in her riding attire. It scooped low on her neckline, revealing a bit of cleavage. The sleeves were made of a sheer grey material, allowing for her skin to be seen through it. Before reaching her arms however it changed into a light pink fabric, and then a white one that flowed loosely around her arms. The same pink material covered her breasts and was lined with pearls, before it changed once more, the sheer fabric making up the entire stomach and back of the dress, along with the portion that covered her left thigh, and stopping just below her rear. The pink covered her right side and hip, flowing down to mid-calf, the ends becoming the same white material on her sleeves. It came around the back and cinched together with pearls over her left hip bone, so that her rear was concealed. The dress had a gold design sewn into both fabrics, and strings of pearls lining some of the edges. She wore light grey heels to match the dress, and a golden necklace with an emerald in the center to match her eyes. Her hair was curled into ringlets, just barely revealing her dangling gold earrings. She walked out of her changing room and was met by Gaara.

"Do I look stupid?" she asked without thinking, still unsure about her appearance.

"Of course not," he said without even looking at her. He was dressed in his most formal armor. It was basically only for show, unless they were in the middle of a war. He had on a full armor breast plate that went around the back. It was silver and underneath he wore a black shirt and black pants that went into his metal boots. He adjusted his arm bands, tightening the red cloth that was attached to the front right should and hung over his left to the back. All his leg covers had a slight red tint to them. He had two swords strapped to his waist, finally he looked at her and his jaw actually fell a bit slack. "Wow…" he breathed out. Quickly realizing how dazed he looked, he straightened up and looked off and at one of the stained glass windows. "You look…really beautiful."

She smiled genuinely at him, walking until she was in front of him. "Thank you. You look very dashing in your armor." She said, reaching up and smoothing out the red cloth on his shoulder. She would follow Niro and Taira's advice and see where it got her tonight.

He glanced down at her hand and then followed her arm to her face. That was definitely odd. She'd never attempted to do anything like this before. His hard façade faltered a bit and he looked somewhat at ease. "Uh well, we should probably start heading towards the throne room now." He offered his arm, looking a bit awkward. After all, he didn't really know how to react around her. She took his arm, the smile still on her face from the fact that he didn't seem adverse to her touch. That was a good thing at least.

They walked down the hall, stopping only when they saw Neji, Itachi, and Sasori. "Ah little brother." The elder redhead smirked, looking down at Sakura then. "Oh my. Sakura well don't you look absolutely stunning." He said, taking her hand and kissing it tenderly. He let his thumb run over her skin in a soothing manner. Gaara's apparent light mood was gone in a flash, a familiar frown etched into his features. "Doesn't she Gaara?" Sasori teased, sparing his brother a glance.

"Hn." Was his only reply.

Neji rolled his eyes, both he and Itachi were dressed in their formal armor. Neji's was shining and brilliantly white, while Itachi's was a dark midnight black. Sakura smiled at the elder redhead. "Thank you." She said, easing her hand out of his and placing it where hers and Gaara's arms connected. Tonight she would focus her attention on Gaara, as different as it would be. She had committed to trying to make it work, and tonight would be a test run.

Finally they heard their introduction and they filed out. Itachi walked out first, followed by Neji and then Gaara and Sakura. Sasori was the last out of course, since he was the leader of the entire country. The crowd broke into applause as they entered. As was tradition, Gaara led Sakura out to the center of the floor and pulled his arm from her grasp. He lowered his hand and when she took it he placed his free hand on her hip and she rested hers on his shoulder. The small orchestra began to play once they saw the two were ready and they began to dance. "We're approaching the tenth year." He said, simply trying to make conversation.

"So we are. It seems like such a short time since it all began." She murmured, moving along with him. "I…got you something. For it." She said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"You got me something…for three years from now?" he arched what could be a brow, staring down at her, as more dancers filed into the center of the room.

"I meant this year. Unless you want to wait until then." She blushed, feeling like a complete idiot.

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "What is it?"

"You'll see later tonight. I shall give it to you before we retire, since it's a surprise." She told him, now smiling.

He sighed, trying not to let his irritation show. He really hated surprises. Almost as much as he hated waiting. But he supposed this one time he could let it slide. He leaned closer to her, pressing her body fully against his. He was shocked by his actions, but then made the connection. Niro and Taira must be being intimate right now. He sighed once more, trying for once to not fight the feelings and accept them. Sometimes when they were doing very intimate things, he and Sakura found themselves getting more and more heated.

She rubbed against him in their dance, unable to control the action. She already figured the dragons were being intimate, since her stomach had fluttered a moment before, and it usually only did that when they began nuzzling, as they were wont to do. As they twirled, she brought her mostly bare left leg up and hooked it around his waist as he dipped her, slowly sliding it back down his leg when they straightened. "Do you ever feel guilty? About not letting them see each other?" she asked, knowing he understood who she was talking about.

"Not really. I usually feel great displeasure on this day, so his feelings don't really have an effect on me. Besides, he doesn't want to cause me emotional stress. Most of the time." He shrugged, swallowing hard from her actions. He had been so tempted to take hold of her thigh and keep it up so he could smooth his hand up her leg and into her more untouched features. He froze at the thoughts and pulled away from her abruptly.

Taking his words and actions negatively, Sakura stopped dancing. "So you don't look forward to this day of the year?" she asked, trying to give him a chance to further explain in case she was misinterpreting things.

"Why would I enjoy a day where I have to associate with people I hate, watch you flirt around with every man that has a pulse, one of which is my brother, who is your main squeeze. And I hate my brother! He annoys the hell out of me, almost as much as you do with your misleading signs and gestures!" he actually yelled, getting the attention of a few people close by.

She gaped at him. Had he just insinuated that she acted like a whore? "How dare you!" she yelled, letting go of him and stepping away. "I am not the only one with misleading signs and gestures. And at least I don't then proceed to walk away and leave you confused out of your mind, you self-centered, arrogant jerk!" she stormed away from him then, walking off of the dance floor.

"Look who's walking away now you haughty trollop!" he called after her, an angry glare set in place.

She turned on her heels, walked back over to him, and slapped him across the face, the sound of her hand connecting with his cheek resounding throughout the room. "Don't _ever_ call me that." She said, angry tears forming in the corner of her eyes. He was absolutely speechless and ultimately flabbergasted. But of course his confused state didn't last for long, he grabbed her by the wrist of the hand that had slapped him and forced her towards him.

"Don't _you_ ever raise a hand to me." He seethed, looking more menacing than ever. His grip on her wrist tightened painfully. "You filthy little floozy." He snapped back with more rage. He released her then and stormed off, needing nothing more than to be away from her.

Holding back her tears, she left through the door they had entered from, off to find the one being that was always there for her.

Everyone else in the room was silent, until a blonde in a formal orange tunic spoke up. "Wow…they really hate each other."

There was a brunette next to him, dressed similarly, only in grey. "Of course they do…they've been like that for seven years."

"Why?" the blonde asked. He just didn't understand how two people could be so horrible to each other. Sure his lady was rough and tough some of the time, but she had a very kind and caring nature as well.

The man looked at him skeptically and then fully took in his appearance. "Oh, you're the new guy." He nodded, now understanding. "I'm Kiba by the way. Gaara to me is like what Sakura is to you." He grinned, rubbing beneath his nose.

"Naruto." The other man returned. "So why are they like that to each other?"

"Duh." He laughed, shaking his head. "Because they're married."

"That makes absolutely no sense. If they're married, then why do they treat each other like that?"

Kiba smacked his palm to his forehead. "Do you know nothing? The female knight of the dragon riders is always destined for one of the males. When the dragons mate they are also fated together. Gaara and Sakura's dragons mated and so they were arranged into a marriage." He said trying to explain.

Naruto nodded, beginning to understand. But it was sad, the fact that the two riders were so busy hating what fate had arranged for them that they wouldn't take the time to give their marriage a try. To the blonde, that wasn't how marriage was supposed to work.

* * *

Sakura ripped her heels off of her feet and carelessly tossed them to the side before opening the door to the tower and running up its steps. She pushed the latch open, startling the two dragons that had been on the verge of falling asleep. Taking in her mistress' appearance and tearful expression, Taira raised her head from its spot next to Niro. The pink haired woman ran up to her friend, throwing her body on the dragon's shoulder and wrapping her arms around her neck in a tight embrace. She let out a choked sob, finally allowing her tears to flow. Confused and worried for the woman, since she was now feeling what Sakura felt, Taira touched her nose to her back, cooing at her softly.

'_Sakura, what is wrong? Did you not go to the party?'_ she asked.

"You were wrong. You were both wrong." Sakura cried, too upset to speak with her mind as she buried her face into the beast's pink scales.

Niro got up fully and gripped onto the edge off the tower, climbing around until he was on the other side of Sakura. He eyed her carefully and lowered his massive head, pressing his snout into her back. '_Sweet one. I promise you I was not wrong, you forget I share a mind with your husband.'_

She sniffed and looked at the dragon somewhat accusingly. "How could you not have been wrong? He…he said he loathed this day out of all others because he was forced to see people he hated. And then he called me a trollop!" she said, raising her voice slightly. Her tear-flow increased as she recalled what had happened, and she laid her head against Taira's body.

The dragon let out a hot breath. '_Girl, do not aggravate me._' He warned, not in a threatening way, but he wanted to get a point across. '_You must see through my master's eyes. He hates his brother and Itachi. Neji pisses him off and his wife of seven years spends her time flirting with his brother and grabbing attention from every other man._'

She looked at the dragon in consideration, thinking about what he had said. "I slapped him." She admitted softly, looking away in shame. Taira pulled her head back from her mistress in shock.

'_What? Why would you disrespect your master in such a way?'_ she asked, glancing at her mate. She would never do anything of the sort to Niro, and knew that he understood that. But she had to remind herself that she and her mistress, while similar, were not the same.

'_It doesn't matter_.' Niro looked to Taira and then back down to Sakura sadly. She could see the pity in his large slanted eyes. '_What you have done is nearly unforgivable. Gaara is your master and you are to show him nothing but respect. Considering how much freedom he allows you to have…you do know that Itachi's father was like a dictator. Mikoto practically had the will taken from her. You should count yourself lucky for how much grace my master has.'_ The red dragon visibly glared.

"I know. The instant after I did it I knew I shouldn't have." She said, curling into a ball as a wave of self-loathing came over her. In all honesty, she wanted more than anything for Gaara to want her, or at least like her, and now she had blown her chances. "But he doesn't want me." She began to cry once more. "And after tonight he never will." The knowledge that her own husband hated her made her heart ache in her chest.

'_Perhaps if you apologize and beg for your forgiveness you will smooth things over a bit. Admit that you were in the wrong. And stop flirting with the king. It is not only disrespectful, but disgraceful as well. He is your brother-in-law now, and you only make yourself look like a fool.' _Taira scorned, lightly glaring at the small woman. If she were a dragon and were doing things like that, her mate would kill her without hesitation. It just wasn't done.

'_I'm surprised Gaara hasn't killed her yet. I don't understand how you've been married for seven years and have never attempted to sleep with your husband. Didn't you ever think that might relieve some tension between you two?'_

Sakura let out a sigh, looking up at the large dragon. "It doesn't matter. Who would even want to be with someone as 'filthy' as me anyways?" she asked morosely, becoming exhausted after shedding so many tears.

'_But you have never been with a man, how could you be filthy?_' the pink dragon asked.

"As long as that is what Gaara believes, that is what I am. I will not try and defend myself to someone who won't listen." She said, snuggling into the warmth of her friend. She didn't want to return to their shared room tonight and see him. Besides, she had slept outside with Taira before, and this was where she felt the most at ease.

Niro let out a low growl, '_I don't think that is the smartest id-_' his whole body went rigid, muscles tensing as his dark red wings spread and he dove off the turret. '_Master!_' Niro roared loudly diving towards the balcony of the throne room. Kuro and Metsuki were screeching, trying to get into the ballroom. Gaara, Itachi, and Neji stood, swords drawn in front of Sasori. There were at least twelve men with swords drawn in the ballroom. The servants for the night's festivities had been killed and replaced with a group that was trying to assassinate the king and the dragon riders.

Neji's arm was a bit shaky. He had a gash on his upper arm that was bleeding. Gaara's left eye was shut, trying not to let the blood running down his face get into his eye, from the hit to the head he had received. Itachi let out a breath, pressing his free hand against his thigh. None of them had expected the attack and cursed silently that they had been caught off guard. Niro smashed through the glass just as Kuro did on the other side, snapping viciously at the ones attempting to harm their riders.

Hearing the commotion, Sakura jumped onto Taira's back and they flew down to the balcony, landing next to Niro. She jumped off and ran inside, shivering slightly at the feel of the marble against her bare feet. She stopped when she was next to Gaara and drew the second sword that was strapped to his waist as she took in the scene.

"Where have you been." He demanded, not even sparing her a second glance.

"With Niro and Taira." She replied, hoping that the tearstains on her cheeks weren't too obvious.

Niro snapped at one of the men, tossing him up in the air. Kuro shot forward and swallowed him whole, by now everyone was running in horror trying to get out of the ballroom. Gaara and Neji took off towards the remaining men, cutting them down one by one, though due to their injuries they seemed to be moving a bit sluggishly. Sakura and Itachi stayed in front of Sasori, protecting him from the ones who got through Neji and Gaara and ran at them. A man lunged at Sakura, assuming that because she was a woman she would be easy prey. How wrong they were. Because of her small size, she was very agile, easily dodging and blocking his attacks. Seeing his partner's difficulty, another man moved to fight Sakura.

Itachi remained where he was despite knowing Sakura might need his help. His priority right now was his best friend and king. A man tried to get around him and lunge for Sasori, but Itachi quickly cut him down. Taira roared loudly as one of them men slashed at Sakura when she was turned, slicing the left sleeve of her dress in two and causing it to fall a little off her shoulder. It would have been worse had her dragon not warned her, but now she was pissed. Not only was this dress new, but she had only gotten this one chance to wear it. She pulled a small dagger out of her right sleeve and stabbed it into the man's neck, causing warm blood to splatter across her chest. Ducking quickly as the second man resumed his attack on her person, she ignored the feeling of blood sliding down her front, figuring that the dress was already ruined anyways. It didn't take her much longer to bring the man down, and when she looked around she saw Neji and Gaara taking care of the final few men.

Gaara sliced the last man's head clean off, letting it tumble to the floor, expression still intact. Niro wrapped around him, roaring loudly, signaling their victory. He lowered his head, his tail circling around his master, and began to lick Gaara's head in attempts to get the blood off. '_Are you alright Master?_'

'_Yes Niro, I am fine. Thank you._' He thought softly, placing his hand on the side of Niro's head, trying to comfort the dragon.

Taira too entered the room and began to sniff her mistress, checking to make sure none of the blood was hers. Satisfied, she rumbled lowly. _'You should be more careful with your life.'_ The dragon scolded.

'Yeah, yeah. I took care of him didn't I?' she replied, bending over and pulling the knife out of the dead man's neck. She grimaced at the blood on it and tossed it aside. She had plenty more of those anyways. She looked over at Gaara and saw Niro tending to the wound on his head. Shoving her hesitation aside she ripped off part of the bottom of her dress and began to walk over towards him, dipping the cloth in a pitcher of water as she passed.

Stopping before the redhead, she held up the wet rag and asked, "May I?" her hesitation only now becoming evident. Niro stopped from his task and growled at Sakura, Gaara's stoic expression didn't even change. He looked down to the wet cloth in her hand and held his hand out to take it from her.

She gave it to him, making sure that their skin didn't touch, as it seemed he wouldn't welcome the contact anyways. A wave of extreme sadness washed over her, and it was difficult not to let it show in her features. Wordlessly she turned and went back to her dragon, figuring that he would want to be away from her anyways. It was her own fault he was behaving this way, and that knowledge made her even sadder.

'_Master._' Niro leaned closer, watching as Gaara cleaned his face of the blood and then moved to his hair. When he didn't reply the dragon growled at him.

'What.'

'_I know that Lady Sakura upset you and should not have done what she did. But she's your wife. Couldn't you forgive her? I know she didn't mean it._'

'If she didn't mean it, she wouldn't have done it.' The red head shot back, silencing his dragon. 'Now leave.' He ordered. Niro whined softly but got nothing in return. He stepped over to the hole in the wall and onto the balcony, taking off into the sky to make his perch for the night. Gaara walked over towards Sasori and gave him a once over. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He said solemnly.

He looked to Itachi then, giving him a respectful nod. "And you Itachi?"

"Perfectly acceptable." He replied, examining the cut in his leg. "How is your head?"

"I'll be ok. I just need a good night's sleep. Well if that's it, I'm going to get the rest of the blood off and get to sleep." He waved, watching all the servants he passed. It wouldn't do well to be paranoid, but everything seemed alright now.

Sasori just sighed and sat down on his throne. "Well, that wasn't how I wanted the night to end." He grumbled, looking over to Sakura. "My lady, you're covered in blood. Are you alright?"

Sakura pat Taira and sent her off before smiling at Sasori. "I am fine Your Highness, the blood is not mine." She reassured.

He nodded, noticing the sad look on her beautiful face. He got up and walked over to her, taking both her hands in his. "Sakura, I couldn't help but notice the hostilities. If it would make you feel better, you may sleep in my chambers tonight."

She looked down at the floor in slight shame. "While I appreciate the offer Sasori, I cannot accept. He is my husband, and I have already disrespected him enough for one evening." She looked back up at him, determination shining in her emerald depths. "I must speak with him and take whatever punishment he sees necessary for my behavior."

Neji walked up then, his impassive gaze focusing on Sakura. "And if he decides to end you? You know we cannot allow that to happen." He said simply. "And if he wants to, Taira won't be able to do anything about it. She will submit to Niro if he demands it. And he will not defy his master."

She looked at the brunette, her expression remaining the same. "Then it is what I deserve, although I doubt he will."

Itachi came over and crossed his arms. "I will not allow you to put yourself at such risk Sakura. We cannot afford to chance it, especially because you two have yet to create an heir to continue the dragon rider line." He said.

She frowned and snatched her hands from Sasori's in order to place them on her hips. "Who. Frickin'. Cares? It is none of your business what transpires in my marriage to Gaara. I will not simply cower from him to save my own skin. For once I will play the role of the submissive wife, because _I_ was the one who harmed _him_. You cannot say that if I were married to any of you that you wouldn't want the chance for the same thing and be honest." She said, pointing at the three men. "Now if you don't mind, I have some groveling to do." She pushed through Itachi and Sasori and left the room then, off to face her husband.

"He does not deserve her." Itachi observed, watching her leave.

"She should have been married off to me. At least I wouldn't treat her like dirt." Neji said, sheathing his sword.

Sasori just watched Sakura leave and looked back at the others. "I think…I have to disagree with you there me friend." He gave Itachi an endearing look. "Maybe he does deserve her…after all, fate doesn't make mistakes." The red head started off to his room. "After all, he lets her have the only thing that you two would take away." He smirked then and left the room and the last two to themselves.

* * *

Gaara stepped out of the bathroom, a white fluffy towel wrapped around his waist. He had another in his hand and was attempting to dry his hair. He stopped, seeing Sakura in the doorway and then continued his actions. "The bath is still hot if you want one. Though judging by the blood splattered all over your face, I'm assuming you want one." He walked towards the large bed against the wall, tossing the spare towel on top of it.

She ignored the fact that he was practically naked and decided to just get straight to business. After all, if he wanted to kill her there was no point in cleaning up and sullying clean clothes. Instead, she kneeled before him, bowing her head low in an obvious show of submission. "I have come to apologize to you for my heinous behavior earlier, and willingly accept any punishment you deem necessary. Not only did I speak out of turn, I harmed you intentionally in my anger. I have brought shame to you, and for that, I am also sorry."

He remained silent, staring at the back of her head, since she wasn't moving. He frowned, this wasn't like Sakura at all and he didn't like her submitting to him in such a way. She was known for her attitude, it was actually something he liked about her. At least to him, it made her seem alive. "Get up." He ordered. "And don't apologize. You couldn't bring shame to me even if you tried."

She did so, mostly because he had told her to. "It is necessary for me to apologize, not only because you are my husband, but because I want to. I know it may not seem like it sometimes, but I don't like fighting with you." She said softly, not meeting his gaze.

"Could have fooled me." He said, "Just go wash that blood off. It's been a long night." He walked over to the dresser, pulling out some black loose draw string pants.

She held in a sigh and did as she was told, grabbing her nightgown on her way to the bathing chambers. It wasn't exactly what she had hoped for, but it would have to do. He actually didn't seem as angry as she had thought he would be.

A while later she came out and saw that he had already gone to sleep on his side of the bed, his back facing her. Placing her tattered and bloody dress in the trash, she walked over to her things, which had been placed in the room shortly after her arrival earlier that day. She took out a small bundle and unwrapped it, revealing an elegant dagger. Its scabbard was made of the finest black leather, gold covering the tip so that it would last throughout the years. The handle of the blade was expertly made, and had a golden dragon wrapped around it, two small rubies making up its eyes. She had seen it in her travels, and it had instantly reminded her of Gaara. She even had the blade itself engraved with his name, which had cost a pretty penny, but it was worth it. Glancing at him, she decided it was best to let him sleep, and just placed the dagger underneath her pillow before crawling into bed next to him. This way she wouldn't forget to give it to him in the morning, since after tonight she doubted he would want to stay, even if Niro refused to leave.

She was just about to fall asleep when she heard something, "Sakura." Gaara said, not moving and not turning to face her. He just stared out the balcony and into the night sky that was littered with stars.

She turned her head to look at him. "Yes?"

"It's ok." He said simply, closing his eyes then, feeling his muscles relax.

A small smile came to her face as she turned her head back to face the door. "Goodnight Gaara. Sleep well." She said, beginning to drift back off to sleep.

He could feel a smile tugging at his own features. "Goodnight…" he replied. 'My dearest…'


	3. Delay

**Monogamy**

_Chapter Three_

-Delay-

Gaara sat up groggily, scratching his head as he looked around the room. His gaze fell down to the woman sleeping next to him. His wife. It was odd, he rarely ever Sakura, but they were forever bound to one another, in more than one way. He held up his left hand and eyed the white band on his ring finger, then over at Sakura's, seeing its twin adorning her own finger. He leaned over, hovering slightly above her as she slept. She looked so peaceful and serine. He reached up, almost touching her cheek in a caressing manner, but stopped.

Their relationship wasn't like a normal husband and wife. Unbeknownst to them, they had been arranged to wed when they were thirteen years old. He leaned back on the palms of his hands and sighed. Today he'd be heading back to the west, to his own palace. It was something he looked forward to after every meeting, but for some reason felt a bit reluctant to leave.

Carefully, Gaara slid out of bed and grabbed a black silk robe with a golden dragon sewn into the back. He pulled it on and let it hang loosely around him as he stepped out onto the balcony and looked around at the view. It was really nice here, calm and tranquil. It was always so windy in the west. He stopped at the edge and rested his hands along the ledge. He could see the dragons off in a nearby plain, playing with one another happily. They were so carefree and majestic. He wondered idly what it would have been like to be a dragon. He closed his eyes, imagining the feel. Flying was amazing as it was, but being able to do it on your own. He let a small smile form on his face.

Sakura, having woken up when she felt the breeze from outside, sat up and looked at Gaara. She wondered what it was he was thinking about. Her hand brushed the dagger under her pillow, and she decided that now was the best time to give it to him. Rising from the bed, she put on her robe, which was made of a white silk and flowed down to her feet. She grabbed the dagger and held it behind her back, then joined the redhead outside. Taking in the scenery, she let a wistful smile come to her face and leaned against the wall, just before the balcony formed. "Good morning." She greeted softly.

He glanced back when he heard her voice and took in her appearance. "Morning." He said, looking back out over the hills. She looked so delicate in the morning, without her weapons and battle attire. She looked just like a flower, a precious and delicate flower. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, keeping his gaze forward.

"Yes, and you?" she asked.

"It was enjoyable."

She walked forward until she was next to him, keeping her gaze on the playing dragons so that she didn't lose her courage. She looked up at him somewhat timidly and took in his profile. Now that she was taking time to notice it, Gaara was really handsome. Sure his brother Sasori was a looker, but Gaara had a more masculine appearance, while Sasori's was a bit softer. His skin looked so smooth, despite its years of fighting, and idly she wondered what he would do if she were to reach out and lay her hand on his chest. Pushing such treacherous thoughts aside, she shifted nervously. "I…have your gift." She murmured, cheeks slowly becoming pink.

He looked down at her, an emotion actually playing across his face. He stared curiously at her face and then to her hands, which were hidden behind her back. She revealed the dagger and held it out to him. "I saw it in my travels, and it made me think of you." She admitted, her blush darkening.

He took it from her and examined the piece, turning it slowly to get a view of the whole thing. "Why?" he asked stupidly.

She began to twirl her hair around her finger to try and hide her growing embarrassment. "Well…because the dragon is gold, like the one on your robe, and the rubies reminded me of your hair…and…it's beautiful, yet deadly…like you…and I just thought you would like it." She told him, turning to face the valley to try and hide her crimson cheeks. She probably sounded like an idiot now.

"Oh…" he said, lowering his gaze from her once more and studied the detail. It was really nice, but he didn't really use daggers. Ever. He kept his mouth shut, since he seemed to say things at the wrong time. He looked back up at her, "Thank…you. I really like it."

She looked at him with a surprised smile on her face. "Really? I'm glad, I was afraid you wouldn't." she admitted. Then she looked at the knife and noticed he hadn't examined the blade yet. Boldly she stepped closer to him and placed her hands over his. "Here, I had it engraved for you." She said, sliding the dagger out of its sheath with her hands still over his. Realizing what she was doing, she let go and slowly lowered her hands, unsure if he would welcome her touch or not.

Gaara lifted the clean blade and got a closer look, tilting it so he could read it. She had his name engraved, and he could actually feel another smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Wow, thank you." He sheathed it, setting it down on the balcony edge. Hesitantly and very slowly, he took her hands in his and stared down at her. "I do like it."

Her smile widened and she stepped closer to him. "I'm glad." Some of her hair blew into her face then, the gentle breeze causing her nightgown and robe to whip around her, and his as well.

"I'm…sorry," he began, looking truly sincere. "About calling you those names last night. It was an inappropriate time to vent my inner feelings to you." He looked away then, unable to keep his jade focused on her piercing emerald.

She reached up and placed her palm on his cheek, turning his face back towards her. "Don't be. You had every right to say what you did. I was the one who was in the wrong. And, if you can forgive me for slapping you, I can most certainly forgive you for telling me how you feel." She said, stroking his cheek with her thumb. She was right, his skin was as smooth as it looked.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the soft touch. It was just like he remembered from their childhood, before they found out they would be forced to get married. Sakura brushed some of the hair out of Gaara's eyes and, in a bold move, placed her hand on his chest, right over his heart. He didn't seem to be as averse to her touch as she thought he would be. He opened his eyes slowly, staring down at her. She was extremely beautiful in the morning sun. He needed to say it, finally voice his feelings for her. But he couldn't. He leaned down, moving his face closer to hers. He couldn't blame it on Niro and Taira this time, since both were in view and playing with the others. Sakura's breath hitched, and she leaned closer to him, until she could feel his breath on her face. Would this be it? Would she finally get to show him how much she cared after all these years? She intertwined her fingers with his, and just as Gaara began to lower his head, they heard a loud roar, and both stepped away from each other and looked out onto the valley. Seeing what was going on, Sakura removed her hands from Gaara so that she could lean against the rail of the balcony. "Kuro! I don't care if you four are playing, don't be too rough with Taira, or Niro will attack you!" she yelled, knowing that the dragons could hear her even from so far away. In response she got a loud roar. She let out a sigh, knowing that the moment was now gone, and there was no way to recover it.

Gaara looked over the ledge, grabbing the dagger and watching his dragon. In one silent commanded Niro was snapping at Kuro and the two broke out into a vicious fight, trying to rip one another apart. The redhead turned his back to the scene and went back into their bedroom. Sakura let a small smile come to her features as she watched the two males battle for dominance. She turned and followed Gaara back into their room, knowing that Niro would come out on top anyways, especially since it concerned Taira.

She went over to her dresser and pulled out a change of clothes. "I don't know if Niro informed you, but I have decided to stay for a while. Just a few more days, but longer than I usually do." Sakura said conversationally as she grabbed her brush and began to untangle her unruly pink locks.

"Ok," he said, not really understanding why she was sharing this bit of information with him. After all, to him, it just seemed like she was staying to be around his brother more. "Well I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time." He stepped up to his own and opened a drawer, pulling out a loose black shirt. He took off his robe and slid on the soft fabric and without caring, untied his pants and changed into another, tighter pair of black pants. He tightened his leather belt and tugged on his brown leather boots.

Her face had turned slightly red, since she had been looking at him when she'd spoken, but had quickly turned away when he began to undress. It didn't matter that he was her husband, they had never been intimate before, and she was still very shy about such things. Wordlessly she picked up her clothes and went into the other room to change. Part of her was disappointed that he didn't seem to care that she was staying longer, but she tried not to let it bother her. After all, she knew Niro wouldn't allow him to leave, he had promised. She put on a pair of black leggings and a tan tunic that went just past her butt. Then she pulled on her dark suede boots and tightened her belt, strapping on her sword in the process. Coming out of the bathroom, she tossed her gown onto the bed and draped her robe on a chair that was in the corner.

He looked up at her, obviously giving her a once over, and liking what he saw. But like always he quickly turned away and shoved the rest of his things back in his bag. After smoothing her hair a bit, she went over to the door and opened it, wanting to go to breakfast. Looking back at him, she said, "If I don't see you again, fly safely."

He watched as she left and frowned. He hoisted his bag over his shoulder and headed out from the room passing her by. It wouldn't do well to dwell on her. After all, the second he was gone it would be as if they weren't even married and they would go back to their boring, uneventful lives. He didn't even want to think about the hell he was going to get from Niro when he found him.

* * *

"So Gaara has already left?" Sasori asked, cutting into his waffles. "Didn't even bother to say goodbye." He sighed. Temari just looked at her brother from the side and rolled her eyes.

"Wonder why." She mumbled before taking a long sip of orange juice.

Sakura smiled secretly to herself, suspecting that he wasn't really gone. He would be angry when he found out that Niro would refuse. After all, she was putting forth some effort in their marriage just by staying. "I said goodbye to him earlier." She said, taking a piece of bacon from the center platter and beginning to eat it.

Neji gave a small shrug. "Who cares? We can all have some nice quality time now without a fight breaking out. I mean did you see what Niro did to Kuro? He ripped a huge chunk out of his wing. Poor dragon. Gaara should really control his dragon better." He shook his head.

"What about Gaara's dragon?" Tenten asked curiously.

"He got a little knick, but Niro is the alpha male of the group." Neji explained.

The brunette scrunched her brow. "But I thought Lord Itachi was the head dragon rider."

Sasori smiled at the girl and took his glass. "Itachi may be the head dragon rider, but Gaara is from the royal family. Not to mention his dragon mated with Lady Sakura's. So either way his would have been the alpha male."

"But why were they fighting?" Naruto asked, pausing in his act of shoving food down his throat.

Sakura looked at her squire. "They were all playing and Kuro was accidentally a little rough with Taira. And Niro always protects his mate." She said.

"He was scolded for it, and his wing is being tended to." Itachi said, eating a bite of eggs.

The doors to the large dining room were pushed open, getting everyone's attention. Gaara walked in, looking a little less than furious. He didn't stop until he was right beside Sakura. "Is this supposed to be some kind of joke? Because it's not funny, I want to leave." He glared fiercely.

She looked up at him wide-eyed, the perfect picture of innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about Gaara. I would never make you do something you don't want to." She said.

"Bull crap you liar!" he pointed at her accusingly. "I've had to _track_ my dragon down all morning, and when I finally did find him, he flew away! There's only _one_ person he listens to other than me." Everyone looked to Sakura then, intrigued by the turn of events.

She turned to face him, putting forth an effort not to laugh at the furious redhead. "Interesting. It is possible though, that while I was conversing with him and Taira yesterday that I mentioned we would be staying and that you would probably leave. It also might be possible that Niro suggested he not let you, and I _might_ have said it was a good idea. But this is all in theory, since I don't really know what his reasoning is." She said with a slight smirk.

"Woman!" he snapped, grabbing her upper arm and forcing her from her seat. He pulled her from the room, not caring if he was making a scene. They disappeared as they turned the corner.

Tenten was wide eyed, "I don't understand what just happened…"

The only ones who seemed unaffected by the scene were Sasori, Itachi, and Temari, who all shrugged.

* * *

Gaara shoved Sakura against the wall, but was surprisingly gentle about it. "Do not give me your attitude right now Sakura. I really don't have the patience for it." He growled, keeping her pinned between him and the wall.

By now the smirk had left her features, since his actions had surprised her. "The truth is, I decided to go along with it because…I want you to stay…while I do…with me." She said softly.

He actually looked shocked and dropped his hold on her. "If you wanted me to stay, why didn't you just ask me yourself?" he asked, looking away from her then.

"Because I…didn't know if you would want to." She began to fidget then. Why was it she always seemed to admit embarrassing things when she was around him? Normally she could just play it off as if it weren't a big deal. But she wanted to be honest with him. She was tired of pretending that she didn't care.

"Hence why you _ask_." He said again, looking back at her with a slightly annoyed gaze.

She looked up at him and stopped fidgeting. "Then, will you stay with me? For a few days? Please?"

"Why?" he pressed, successfully keeping the devious smirk from showing on his face. It had been a long time since he messed with her, and he couldn't remember why he stopped. It was so fun.

She crossed her arms defensively. "Because I want to see you, okay? If you don't want to see me then just say so, I won't try and guilt you into staying."

He leaned closer, not bothering to conceal his smirk any more. "See me? Or _be_ with me?" he whispered into her ear. Lifting his hand up, he slowly traced his fingertips up her arm and then to her neck.

She trembled under his touch, but not from fear. She dropped her arms and whispered, "Both."

"Hm." He laughed darkly, setting his free hand on her hip and pressing further into her. "Well you see me now. I can't help but think it might be the latter."

Sakura turned her head so that their cheeks were touching. She placed her hand on his hip and hiked her leg up, hooking it around his waist and drawing him closer. Her actions were almost foreign to her, since she knew that Taira wasn't influencing them. "It seems I have been caught then. So, what are you going to do about it?" she asked sensually.

She could feel his smirk grow, "Well if you must know, I think that I'll-"

"Lord Gaara!" a high yell came from down the hall. The redhead pulled away immediately, leaving his hands on her but looked to the direction of the noise. A blonde woman ran towards them, smiling brightly. Her hair was down to her hips and she was dressed in a dark purple dress that came down low, exposing an uncomfortable amount of cleavage. "I can't believe you are still here!" she giggled, not even sparing Sakura a look.

"Hello Ino." He said calmly, removing his hands from Sakura.

She latched onto his arm and sighed happily. "I cannot believe you are staying another day. You should join me for lunch!"

"Oh well I was just going to-" he began, trying to point at Sakura.

"Fantastic! Let's go!" she said, dragging him off.

Fuming, Sakura sputtered a bit to herself and then stomped towards the stables where Taira and Niro were. Without saying a word she plopped herself down and crossed her arms in a huff. She muttered angrily to herself, and the two dragons just tilted their heads curiously. Suddenly an evil smile came to the pink haired woman's face and she looked to the red dragon. "Say Niro, if I asked you to scare the shit out of someone, would you do it?" she asked sweetly.

'_Do I get to eat someone too?_'

"Possibly, it depends if the little tramp can't keep her hands to herself."

Niro was up instantly, snarling viciously. '_That blonde little harlot, Yamanaka Ino?'_

"Yes. I was actually making the moves on Gaara, and she just up and interrupted us and took him away before I could so much as sneeze. She didn't even acknowledge my presence!" Sakura pouted.

The dragon lowered his head to the little mistress and gave her a knowing look. '_That_ _witch never acknowledges your presence._' He corrected.

"But usually Gaara and I aren't anywhere near each other when she comes and spoils the day with her huge boobs and overuse of perfume. This time we were close, as in, I was pressed between him and the wall." She complained, wiping her hands down her face. Taira's head appeared next to Niro's.

'_Can I kill her? I'm willing to taste her vile flesh if it will improve yours and Lord Gaara's relationship.'_ The pink dragon asked.

'_What's there to improve?_' Niro asked, emitting a sound much like a snicker. '_My master is beginning to play with his mistress. I sense this is moving along just fine._'

Sakura just snorted. "Please. It's not playing if you don't even put up much of a fight when someone else comes along. Is it because her breasts are bigger than mine? Do I not dress feminine enough for him? Should I grow my hair out?" at this point she was mostly talking to herself, trying to figure out what she could do to gain Gaara's attention. The only reason she kept her hair short and dressed the way she did because it was more comfortable and easier to fight and ride Taira. It was just more efficient.

'_Don't grow your hair out. My master likes your hair short and he likes your boobs too, so stop worrying. It has nothing to do with your appearance._' Niro straightened up, moving fluidly towards the entryway.

She turned and watched the large beast, furrowing her brow in confusion. "Where are you going?"

He stepped out into the warm light, craning his neck to look back at her. She could have sworn he was smirking. '_Wouldn't you like to know, dearest little flower._' He spread his wings then and took off in one graceful jump. Sakura glared after him. Sometimes that dragon was a little too much like his master.

She looked back at Taira and sighed. "I forgot how much I like being called that." She observed.

* * *

"Here you go Gaara." Ino said, leaning down slowly, offering the redhead some dumplings. She stuck out her chest a bit, giving him a perfect view of her cleavage. He glanced down and then away, taking one of the offered snacks.

"Uh thanks." He took a bite, feeling really awkward. He hadn't planned on spending the afternoon with the sorceress.

Taking a seat across from him, she laced her fingers together and rested her chin on the intertwined digits. "I just can't believe it's been an entire year since we last saw each other. I've missed you so much." She said, the corner of her mouth tilting upwards as she tried to appear sultry.

"I can." He took another bite, focusing on a rock nearby as if it were the most interesting thing he'd seen all day.

The blonde frowned slightly as she realized that his attention wasn't on her. She stood and walked until she was in front of the redhead again, then she sat on the table and brought her leg up slightly, revealing some of the pale flesh through a slit in her dress. "You seem preoccupied. Am I not interesting enough for you? Because I can change that." She said suggestively, leaning forward in order to reveal her cleavage.

He couldn't stop his eyes from wandering, he was a man after all. He returned his gaze to her face as quickly as he could, but couldn't help that his interest was sparked. "Is that so?"

She smiled then and stretched, raising her arms above her head and pushing her chest out more than necessary. "Of course." She said, watching as his eyes strayed once more. She was so close. This time, she would finally have him. Lowering her arms, she placed her hand on his knee. "I am talented in _many_ areas, after all." She said, rubbing his knee in a small circle.

"Look, I really shouldn't." he tried to protest, but did nothing to remove her hand.

She chuckled, her hand moving slowly up his leg. "But you want to. And who's to stop you?"

He watched her hand a bit warily, "And you know what I want, Witch?" he asked, arching what could be a brow.

"I do. It is obvious that Sakura is not pleasing you as a wife should. Nobody would blame you for seeking it elsewhere. It can be our little secret." She said, her voice lowering an octave to aid in her seduction.

He went a bit rigid as her hand snaked closer up his thigh. "Is it really that palpable?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Everyone can tell Gaara."

"Well it's no secret we don't take to one another." He glared a bit, but felt it falter as she moved in, straddling his waist and pressing her chest against his.

"Exactly. So why not give in and let me please you the way she can't?"

"Because it's wrong…" he said weakly, wishing he wasn't so deprived that he could at least make himself force her away.

She began to walk her fingers up his chest, batting her eyelashes at him. "Is it? Is self-gratification really all that wrong?" she asked, reaching his shoulder and trailing her fingers down his arm, pleased with the muscles she could feel.

He set his hands on her waist and she seemed eager until he pushed her off with much remorse. "Because you aren't Sakura…and you're not my wife." He sighed, getting up and taking a step back. It really was hard not to give in. Ino was extremely beautiful and sly, as most witches were. Blonde and big boobs. What more could you ask for? "Sorry." he frowned.

She sighed and gave him an appreciative once over. "Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me. I'd be more than willing to fulfill your every desire." She told him, crossing her arms and sticking her hip out, still putting on her act of the temptress.

A large red mass landed between them, making Ino shriek as razor sharp teeth snapped at her. Niro roared loudly, making her hair blow back from the wind it caused. Gaara looked up at his dragon who was screaming insults at the sorceress. '_Stay_ _away from my master you vixen!_' he hissed, knowing the witch could hear him.

"What the hell is your problem?" she yelled at the beast, drawing some of her magic to her hands in case she needed to defend herself.

There was a dark laughter ringing throughout her mind. The dragon grinned evilly, revealing all its sharp teeth to her. '_Don't play dumb with me sorceress, I would love to rip you limb from limb. Or perhaps drop you from five thousand feet and see how pretty you are after that._'

"Niro…" Gaara warned weakly, quickly losing interest in the situation.

She pointed a finger at the dragon, glaring angrily. "You wouldn't dare. I could turn you into a chicken with a twitch of my finger if I wanted to. See how intimidating you are after that."

'_Did you forget dragons are the most magical creatures alive? Your petty parlor tricks won't work on me._'

"Ok, ok. Both of you stop it." Gaara ordered, getting angry, since they were giving him a headache.

Seething, since her beauty had been at stake, she looked at the redhead. "My offer still stands, regardless of what the turkey says." She told him, glaring at Niro and then walking away, deciding that she had done enough seducing for one day. If Gaara wasn't so attractive, and if she didn't dislike Sakura so much, she really wouldn't even put that much effort into it, since she could always find companionship elsewhere.

Niro growled and shot a blast of fire after the woman, making her scamper away, even more furious. Gaara cleared his throat, getting his dragons attention. He growled at his master in a low, threatening sound. '_Master, how dare you be with that vile woman instead of Lady Sakura. She is distraught with your absence._'

"If she was so distraught why didn't she just come after us?" he snapped.

Only silence followed, since Niro didn't really have an answer for that. '_Still…_' he grumbled. Gaara just rolled his eyes and started back for the palace.

"Go and cool off before you burn this place to the ground." He waved him off then and Niro took to the sky.

By now Sakura and Taira had left the stables and found Kuro and Metsuki. She loved all four of the dragons dearly, and hadn't really gotten to see the other two since arriving the day before. She found Kuro soaking up the afternoon sun on a small outcropping of rocks not too far away, and Metsuki was in the nearby field chasing the cattle. Kuro, the long, slender black dragon, opened his eye slightly to see who it was that dare intrude on his relaxation time. Seeing the small woman and her dragon, he rose and snaked his head towards her. '_Little Princess, it has been too long.'_ He greeted, touching his snout to her cheek.

Sakura smiled and rubbed his nose. "It has Kuro. How is your wing?"

'_It is fine and will be fully healed shortly. After all, since I am a magical being our injuries don't last as long as a human's. And the sorceress made me a poultice to put on it.'_

"Yes, well you shouldn't have been so rough with Taira in the first place."

The dragon's large red eyes strayed to the alpha female. _'I forgot myself. Forgive me.'_ Taira just hissed slightly and raised her head so that it was elevated above Kuro's.

'_We both know that you were trying to show your dominance Kuro. You deserve what you got and more.'_ She said.

"Now, now guys, I really don't need to deal with this right now." Sakura sighed. Metsuki came over to join them then, since he had sensed that the female rider was out with her dragon this time, and wanted to see her.

'_It's true small one. Kuro here just can't stand that he's the lead dragon and isn't the alpha male._' The large silver dragon murmured, poking at Sakura with his conical snout. He was only a bit bigger than Kuro, but his ice blue eyes fixed on the pink haired rider, intrigued in her smell. '_You smell like Lord Gaara._' He said gleefully, as if this were amazing news.

She crossed her arms. "So. That stupid blonde probably smells like him too." She said bitterly.

Kuro growled slightly. _'That sorceress needs to learn to stay away from those who are already taken.'_ He may not be the alpha, and his master may not be married to Lady Sakura, but it still angered him that someone would dare go after a married man.

'_I offered to eat her.'_ Taira said.

'_That must be why Niro was so upset earlier. We all felt his fury. But Lord Gaara sent him away, he hasn't been back since._' Metsuki grumbled, turning around slowly and then curling up on the soft grass, resting his head down as well.

Sakura sat down next to the beast and scratched his jaw idly. Taira settled herself comfortably next to her mistress, and Kuro put his head back down, all just enjoying the other's company. "It doesn't matter. He's his own man and can do whatever he wants."

Kuro gave her a pointed look. _'You say that young one, but we all know how deeply it bothers you. We can all feel it.'_

'_Almost_ _as much as it bothers him when you flirt with his brother._' Metsuki said softly, closing his eyes and enjoying the wonderful scratch.

She sighed. "I only do it because Lord Sasori gives me the attention Gaara doesn't. So…I pretend it's him saying those things to me instead of the king." She admitted, reaching out with her other hand to scratch Kuro, whose head was on the other side of her.

'_That is stupid. Why not just flirt with your master?'_ the black dragon asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know if he'd want me to or not."

'_You should. It's like the touching thing. Lord Gaara would welcome it, it would just take a while for him to adjust to the fact that you are giving him the attention he deserves.'_ Taira said.

'_Attention he rightfully deserves from you._' Metsuki peeked at her with one open eye. '_He is a prince after all and your mate and master. Besides, think how happy you would make him if you went to bed with him. The moment you conceive and give birth, you will make him king._'

"I don't know…" she sighed, wrapping her arms around her knees. "We can't even go a day without arguing. And we only see each other once a year. I don't know how having a child would change things, and if things stay as they are, I don't want to raise a child in that type of environment." What if that was all she was good for? Physically pleasing Gaara and having his children? She wanted more from her marriage than just that. She wanted love, something she knew the redhead didn't feel for her.

It was hard not to feel her mistress' pain, and Taira nudged her, cooing softly in an attempt to make the woman feel better.

Both male dragons just blew smoke, deciding to give up on trying to convince her otherwise. They didn't really know the inner workings of Gaara's mind the way Niro did, so it wouldn't be wise to put words into the poor girl's head. '_If you were married to my master, my Lady, things would be different.'_ the silver dragon assured her.

'_As with mine.'_ Kuro said.

'_Well she isn't. The Gods chose Lord Gaara for her, and her for him. They wouldn't have done so if my masters were not meant to be together.'_ Taira growled slightly.

A silence fell on the group then, and Sakura laid her head on Taira's cheek, letting out another sigh. She wondered if Gaara had gone to be with Ino, and then stopped that thought process. It would only make her upset. Sensing where her lady's thoughts were going, the pink dragon rose, causing Sakura to sit up. _'I am going to go find my mate. You should do the same.'_ Then she took to the sky.

Watching her dragon fly away, Sakura stood, patting both males on the snout lovingly. "It was nice to see you two." She said, beginning to walk back towards the castle.

'_Goodbye, Little Princess.'_

'_Until next time small one._'

* * *

Determinedly, she walked through the hallways of the palace, looking for Gaara. She just had to know if he'd done anything with Ino. She had to. She found him in the library, sitting in one of the wing-back chairs reading a book. Stopping in front of his chair, she didn't even wait for him to look up. "Did you do anything?" she asked, her worry evident in her voice.

"Do you really think I'm that petty?" he asked, without looking up from his book. "No." he answered her. "I did not and the _only_ reason I was even slightly turned on, was because _someone_ was making it exceedingly hard to keep my composure and keep in the right of mind." He said, glancing up at her, peering over the top of the book.

She blushed at his insinuation and began to fidget under his gaze. "Oh. I just thought-" she looked away then. "I mean I wouldn't blame you, she's everything I'm not. She's pretty, and dresses like a woman, and has bigger breasts, and is confident with men, and-"

Gaara snapped his book shut, making her stop, and stood abruptly. He glared down at her, looking more than pissed. "Shut up." He commanded and for the first time she actually complied with his demand. He stepped closer to her, grabbing her by her upper arms and forcing her to look into his eyes. "I know that she has big breasts and is confident in men. She's slept with my brother, Itachi, _and _Neji. I walked away didn't I? And trust me, she was _begging_ for it. And you are pretty, and if you dress like a man, you're dressing like a very feminine, skinny, curvy man." He tried to console her, it was times when she felt extreme emotions that he could actually feel her thoughts and the feeling itself, but he assumed that was because they were ordained for one another. He loosened his grip and tried to appear less stern. "Besides, a woman who isn't afraid to get bloody is pretty attractive."

A small smile came across her face then, and her feelings of insecurity instantly vanished. In her happiness, she hugged him tightly, laying her head against her chest. "I'm sorry for doubting you." She said. She pulled away slightly so that she could look into his face, but kept her arms around him. "Gaara, you have to know, I've never been with anyone. I would never betray you like that."

"I know that." he said, looking a bit shocked at her sudden action. He was still trying to get used to her physical contact. Not that he didn't like it, it was just new. "I would know if you'd slept with someone."

Her smile returned, and it was then she realized she was still holding onto him, and that he didn't seem to mind. Tightening her grip slightly, she pressed against him experimentally. "Well, now that that's cleared up, I seem to recall that you were in the middle of saying something this morning before that tramp interrupted us. What was it?" she asked, sliding her hands up his back.

"I was, wasn't I?" he questioned, a small smirk appearing on his face. "About being caught in your lie, I think." He leaned down, his face only inches from hers.

She gave him a coy look and brought her right hand up to play with the fabric of his shirt on his chest. "I shouldn't have lied to my Lord. Are you going to punish me?" she asked, bringing her leg up to wrap around his hips, just as she had earlier that day.

He lowered one of his hands to her thigh and gripped it tightly, pressing into her. "I just might, I can't have people thinking I let my wife run around freely doing as she pleases with no consequences for her actions." He whispered, moving closer, almost feeling her lips brush against his. Their breath mingled and he could feel it coming, finally.

The doors to the library burst open and a messenger ran in, looking breathless. "My Lord!" he cried out, halting immediately. Gaara groaned aloud.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me." He mumbled to himself, pulling away from Sakura then. "What." He snapped, glaring at the boy who looked afraid for his life right now.

"M-my L-lord. Your brother summons you."

Letting out a disappointed sigh, Sakura cupped his cheek and gave him a tender smile. "You can punish me later." She said, standing on tiptoes and kissing his cheek lightly. Then she left the library, smiling happily to herself. He had voiced his objection to not being able to kiss her after all, so she had built up the courage to at least give him that. Unfortunately, her wanted punishment would not come that night.


	4. Past

**Monogamy**

_Chapter Four_

-Past-

Kiba walked around the halls aimlessly, bored out of his mind. Sasori had sent Gaara on an 'errand' the other day, and he'd yet to return to the palace with Niro. He stopped in the archway of one of the common areas, seeing the other three dragon riders lounging comfortably in silence, each reading a book of their own interest. Hinata and Tenten were sitting on the floor near the fireplace, which was lit with warmth, looking through a photo album. Ino was sitting gracefully next to Naruto and Sasori, trying to show the blonde man how potions worked, and Sasori was just enjoying the view the sorceress gave him. Sasuke was perched on the windowsill, staring out at the cold rain that was pounding against the glass.

"Well, looks like everyone seems to be having a nice time. I tended to the dragons. They're all fine and fed. Nice and warm in the stables." He said to the three.

Sakura smiled up at him. "Thank you Kiba. It's a shame you're Gaara's squire. Taira likes you the best after all."

"Hey, what about me?" Naruto pouted, crossing his arms.

The pink haired woman went back to her book. "You have yet to give her a reason to like you." She said simply.

Kiba laughed and walked in to join the group. "Don't worry Naruto, it just takes practice. After all, you're new to this. Sasuke, Hinata, and I have been around the dragons almost as long as their masters have. I'm sure she'll warm up to you soon. Taira really likes rare meat. I'd try giving her some of that and treating her like a lady. She's very particular about that kind of stuff." The brunette smiled and sat down on the floor next to Hinata, leaning back against the wall.

The blonde nodded and stored away that information for later use. "So how did all of you guys meet? I mean, I know you have to eventually and all, but how does that work?" he asked.

"Sasori, Neji, Gaara, and I have always known each other, as it usually is with noble families. Not to mention someone from each of our families has always been a dragon rider. It is only the female that must be found." Itachi said, looking up from his book.

"Oh, so you guys are all best friends!" Naruto declared with a smile. Hinata giggled, seeing her cousin look up in irritation.

Kiba actually started laughing, having to wipe away the tears that were forming in his eyes. "Oh Naruto…you're funny."

He looked around at the group in confusion. "What? What did I say?"

"Idiot. No wonder Sakura beats you." Sasuke said.

"Naruto, they haven't liked each other since they were kids." The brunette snickered, only making Neji's grimace turn to a scowl.

"Why? Lady Sakura seems to be on good terms with everyone. Well, except for Lord Gaara…sometimes." He said.

Hinata spoke up then. "That is because she is. It is the others who don't really like each other, other than Lord Sasori and Lord Itachi, who have been best friends since childhood." She explained.

"Got that right!" Sasori smirked, giving Itachi a friendly snicker.

"Your majesty!" Ino yelped, blushing darkly.

He looked back at the blonde and removed his hand from groping her breast. "Whoops." He smiled deviously. Itachi allowed a small smirk to come to his features.

"Do not pretend like you don't enjoy the attention Witch." He said, giving her a pointed look.

"Only at the appropriate times my Lord." She blushed, watching the eldest Uchiha carefully, wondering if she should play damsel in distress with him later.

"Hn." His impassive gaze returned to his book, causing Sakura to smirk behind her own. Itachi may have slept with Ino before, but he only did so whenever it suited him, and on his terms. And it was apparent that he didn't have a need for her services any time soon. She turned in her chair so that her legs were draped across the other arm, immediately catching the attention of the three lords in the room and causing Ino to glare at her.

"Don't get too excited sires, Sakura can't even please her own husband, let alone three strong willed men." The blond snapped, her smirk returning as the color drained from Sakura's face.

"At least I don't have to throw myself at men and reveal my flesh to gain their attention." She replied, glaring at the sorceress. "On top of which, whereas you frequent the beds of many, I remain true to one." A smirk graced her features then. "Besides, even in my act of 'not pleasing him', I have seen more of Gaara than you ever will in your wildest dreams."

"Then why don't you seek out his attention instead of everyone else's." She spat out, glaring at the woman. "And I'm a sorceress, it isn't in my nature to bind myself to one man." She pointed out skillfully.

"That's true." Sasori nodded.

"And besides, Neji's enjoyed my company more than a few times as well. I have to be something to attract two of the three male dragon riders."

Neji couldn't help the tiny, almost microscopic blush that dusted across his cheeks. Sakura just shrugged. "Tell me something I don't know, Ino. Neji and Itachi are their own men, what they do in the privacy of their chambers is none of my business. Gaara, on the other hand is. And if you so much as think about attempting to seduce him once more, I will personally scar that beautiful face you are so fond of, sorceress or no." she threatened.

"You can try." She sneered back. "But I can tell when a man is suffering, and my poor Lord is most certainly suffering. He needs a skilled touch to relieve all his…_stress_." She purred, already thinking about the redhead's rippling muscles.

"Alright. Enough ladies." Sasori said in a commanding tone, holding his hand up to silence them. "I don't want to hear another word. Unless it concerns me of course." He smirked.

Sakura inwardly seethed, but returned to her book. The only thing keeping her from attacking the blonde woman was the knowledge that Gaara had only been slightly led astray to the fact that she, Sakura, had begun to seduce him yesterday. Meaning that he didn't truly find the witch to be attractive.

"So…how did you all find Lady Sakura?" Naruto asked, seeing that the argument had simmered down.

"Oh we didn't find her." Sasori explained. "When the dragon is born it is presented to the new rider to see if they take. Taira found Sakura, but it wasn't until she was nine that she was brought to the castle."

Neji nodded. "She was brought to us, because we all lived here at the palace."

Naruto looked contemplative. "When did you know whose dragon got to mate Taira?"

Neji shut his book and sat up, since he wouldn't be able to concentrate on both. "Gaara and I didn't find out until we were seventeen. Sakura was sixteen at the time, and Itachi and Sasori were twenty-three. But the dragons always knew, as did the egg handlers. We're not allowed to know until much later on."

"Why?"

Sakura shut her book as well and looked over at him. "Would you want to know when you were nine years old who you were going to have to marry?" she asked. At the shake of his head, she continued. "The handlers always thought it best for the riders to get to know each other and form their own relationships beforehand, that way the marriage between the two chosen ones wasn't strained in any way. Good use that did though." She said.

"Now, now Sakura. You know it would have worked had Gaara not been at the center of that massacre." Sasori pointed out. Everyone went silent then, a heavy sadness weighing in the air.

"I know." She said softly, her gaze now on the flames in the fireplace.

"Massacre?" Naruto blinked. "You don't mean the-"

"Yeah we don't really talk about that Naruto." Kiba interrupted him, silencing the blonde and searching the looks of the three. It was not something they liked to remember.

"Oh. Sorry." He said.

Kiba gave him a comforting grin. "If you want us to tell you the story about when Sakura came here though, we'd be happy too. Right guys?" he looked back at the others.

"If it will get the boy to shut up then I'm all for it." Itachi said, closing and putting down his book.

"He'll hear it all eventually, might as well be from us." Sakura said.

"Ok Sakura, you start then." Kiba smiled and leaned back.

She sat up in her chair and crossed her legs. "Well, I grew up in a small village, so the day that I received Taira and learned that I was to become a dragon rider, I was overjoyed. Shortly afterwards I began training, along with my dragon, so that I wouldn't be unprepared when I was brought to the palace. About a month after my ninth birthday a man came and took me to meet the others. I was so nervous…"

_She fidgeted slightly as she was being shown around the palace. Taira had been taken to the stables to meet the other dragons when they had arrived, and Sakura was feeling lonely. After all, the other riders had grown up together, and she was just some village girl who didn't have a trace of noble blood in her. But she had been taught well in the five years she'd had Taira, and knew a thing or two about the higher classmen and their world, along with being a rider._

_They came upon a huge set of double doors, and the young girl visibly gulped. This was it. She was now going to be introduced to them. She hoped they liked her. The doors opened then, revealing a large room full of training equipment and supplies. In the center of the room were three boys, in the middle of a training exercise she assumed. They stopped when the doors opened, and turned to face her. Two were about the same height, but the third was obviously older, since he was a head taller. The tallest one had long black hair that went just past his shoulders and was tied in a low ponytail. His dark, coal-like eyes seemed to take her appearance in, but he didn't say a word. The boy in the middle had long chestnut hair that was tied in a loose ponytail, and he had pretty lavender eyes. The third, and last, had short red hair and dark-rimmed eyes the deepest jade she had ever seen. Each boy just stared at her blankly, and she wondered if they even knew how to smile._

_Shyly, she raised her hand and gave a small wave, smiling at them. "Hello, I'm Sakura." She greeted quietly._

_Neji stepped forward, holding his hand out to her in an action of acceptance. "Hello Sakura. My name is Hyuuga Neji. From the Hyuuga family controlling the south. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." She placed her hand in his, a small blush appearing on her face. He lowered his head and kissed her hand tenderly. _

_Itachi walked up to her and bowed, taking her other hand in the process. "And I am Uchiha Itachi, from the Uchiha family controlling the north. I am glad that you could finally join us." He said, kissing her other hand._

_Sakura giggled and took her hands from the two, rubbing where they had kissed her as she wasn't used to such attention. "It is nice to meet you two." She said, smiling brightly at the two boys._

_The redhead just watched from afar, seeming a bit reluctant to approach the new girl. Neji glanced back at his friend and then at Sakura. "Sorry, he's not very talkative at first. Or ever. But he's nice, I promise."_

_She peeked around the brunette and gave the other boy her most winning smile. "Hi." She said with another wave._

"_Hi." He said, looking off. Neji sighed and walked back towards the redhead and pushed him forward until he was next to Itachi and right in front of Sakura._

"_Sakura, this is Gaara, he's the prince, second in line to the throne." The Hyuuga introduced for him. _

_Her eyes widened and she blushed. She had never met a royal before. She scratched the back of her head nervously. "Um, I don't know if I'm supposed to bow or curtsey, since I'm not wearing a dress." She laughed, somewhat embarrassed, looking down to her outfit that consisted of some leggings and a tunic._

"_You don't have to…" the redhead finally spoke. "You're supposed to be my equal right?" he finally looked at her, his jade depths looking far too old for his age._

_Itachi rested his hand on Gaara's head and gave him a small reassuring smile. "It's ok Gaara. It's alright to be nice, she's going to be our friend."_

_Sakura smiled at the boy. "I would like to be your friend." She told him somewhat timidly._

"_So where's your dragon?" he asked. _

"_She was taken to the stables to settle in and meet your dragons." She said._

"_Hope he doesn't hurt her." Gaara frowned._

_Neji shook his head quickly and waved his hands in front of his face. "Not that he would Sakura. Niro's just been having some territorial problems." The brunette tried to explain. _

_She just looked at the brunette, not a trace of worry on her features. "Taira can take care of herself, I'm sure she's fine." She assured._

_Itachi gave her a slightly skeptical look. "We should probably go check on them, just in case."_

"_Yeah Sakura, Niro is the alpha male so…well let's just follow Itachi." He nodded, running after the elder. Gaara looked at Sakura for a while and then headed for the door. She followed them to the stables and pushed through so she could see if her dragon was okay. Before she could see what was happening, a flash of pink came towards her and wrapped around her feet._

"_Taira!" she exclaimed._

'I missed you mistress! Look at my new friends_!' the small dragon exclaimed with a squawk._

_Sakura looked before her and saw a slender black dragon with red eyes, and next to it was a slightly larger silver dragon with blue eyes. But the one who caught her attention was the largest dragon, who was red with golden eyes, just like her own dragon. "Oh wow!" she said, heading straight towards the three. Itachi tried to reach out and stop her, but she was already in the center of the male dragons. "Hey there boy, my name is Sakura." She said to the red one, holding her hand out so that he could sniff it. He growled threateningly. This girl was not his master, and that little pink dragon was pretty bold for such a small one. _

"_Niro." Gaara called worriedly, stepping forward._

_Golden eyes shifted up from the girl to the small boy and then back down to her. He lowered his head and sniffed around her outstretched hand. There was a low grumble from deep within the beast. Gaara actually went to her side, trying to get her to back away, but the next thing that happened surprised them all. He pressed his nose into her hand and allowed her to scratch his scaly hide. She smiled brightly, "I think he likes me." She said, moving along his snout to scratch near his ear. She had originally thought that Taira was large, but he was just huge._

_Gaara stared wide eyed, Niro had never let anyone besides him touch him before. Well at least not without them losing an appendage. '_Young master,_' Niro spoke to Gaara with his mind, not knowing that Sakura could hear as well due to their contact. '_She smells like spring._'_

'_I know…' Gaara's words traced across Sakura's mind, and she was in awe. Never before had she been able to hear another person's thoughts. Jade eyes glanced at her and then back at his dragon. 'And she's just as pretty as the springtime flowers.'_

'_Really?' she couldn't help but think, looking between the boy and his dragon. Nobody had ever called her pretty before, and it made her happy._

_The redhead's eyes went wide with horror. He looked at her as if she had just sprouted antlers, and even Niro seemed to be surprised at the link. "You heard that?" Gaara asked, turning a dark red, matching his hair. _

_By now she had stopped scratching the red dragon, but her hand was still on him. "Was I not supposed to?" she asked, slightly alarmed. If she had done something wrong or offended them she would be mortified, since they had just met. Taira's head tilted to the side curiously._

'Interesting._' Was all the female dragon thought._

_Itachi spoke up then. "It is because her hand is on Niro. I read that with physical contact two riders can share the same thoughts with the dragon and each other. You should be able to hear Sakura's dragon's thoughts if you try hard enough, since she is linked with Sakura's mind." He told the young redhead._

"_I don't want to hear her thoughts!" Gaara actually yelled, looking up at his caretaker. "Thoughts are supposed to be private! That's why they're thoughts." He seemed really flustered. _

_Sakura took her hand off of the dragon quickly, not wanting him to be mad at her. "I'm sorry!" she said, looking alarmed. Taira blew out a puff of smoke. _

'You should not apologize when you have done nothing wrong._' She told the small girl._

'Do not worry little flower. My master is not accustomed to other people. He's not very good at meeting new people. Especially girls._' Niro said to her._

_Gaara seemed to get even more ruffled from the thoughts of his dragon. He gripped onto Itachi's shirt and looked off. "I want to leave."_

_The elder Uchiha looked down at the redhead. "Why? I think everything is going well." He said, knowing that the boy was uncomfortable. By now Kuro's head was next to the girl and he was sniffing her._

'She does smell really nice._' The black dragon observed._

_Neji led Metsuki over to her and he started smelling her as well. '_Like a breeze._'_

"_What does a breeze even smell like?" the young brunette asked, moving closer to Sakura and trying to smell her. "She just smells like a girl."_

_Gaara released Itachi and headed towards the stable doors. He was embarrassed and mortified. Itachi wasn't even listening to him. He didn't like having his mind invaded, even if she hadn't done it on purpose._

_Seeing the redhead begin to walk away, Sakura ignored the people crowding around her and ran towards him. She grabbed his hand, causing his to halt and turn around. "Please don't go." She asked, looking up at him with wide eyes._

_He stared down at her, unable to speak. He looked flustered again. "Why?"_

"_Because I want you to stay." She said honestly. She really liked the redheaded boy, more than the other two for some unknown reason. _

_He looked appalled. "I don't know what to say…" he admitted. _

_She giggled, giving him a bright smile. "That's okay, sometimes words aren't necessary." She said, patting his hand._

"_Um well…" he paused and looked over at Niro. The large dragon moved around the others and curled around the two kids. He took Sakura's hand and pressed it against Niro's hot side. He closed his eyes, trying to focus really hard. _

'_I _didn't mean to make you sad. I'm sorry. I'm just nervous._' He thought to Niro, in turn letting Sakura hear his deep thoughts and letting his mind stay open. _

'I'm not sad. I was just afraid that I made you angry. I've never really had any friends other than Taira, so I don't really know how to behave around other people._' She thought back._

_He opened his eyes, looking at her, but seeing something much deeper. It was like he was in her mind and he could see all her feelings and emotions. It was almost unbearable, all the things he was feeling at once. Her mind was beautiful, bright gold and liquid blue as if the sun was shining brightly in a cloudless sky. "Wow…" he said audibly, resting his hand on Niro for support so he wouldn't be overwhelmed by this feeling. _

_Her emerald eyes widened as she saw deeply into his mind. It was a deep, midnight blue and shining silver, like the moon hanging in the clear, starry sky. "Oh…" she murmured, wobbling a bit. She could feel everything that he was feeling, see all that he was seeing, and it was amazing. Taira, having been connected in this as well, came and looked over Niro's shoulder, curious as to what was happening._

_Gaara fell back, removing his hand from Niro so that he could try and get a hold on his spinning emotions. The dragon moved instantly, detaching from Sakura and steadying his master. He pushed his head against the boy, being his support. _

_Neji stared wide eyed. "What just happened?"_

_Sakura sank to the floor, and Taira was next to her mistress in an instant, making sure that the girl was okay. "I saw…colors." She murmured, her gaze trained on the stable floor._

_The Hyuuga boy just looked even more confused. "I don't understand. You saw colors?" _

"_They were pretty." She said, looking over at Gaara. She didn't want to say the other things she had seen and felt, because she felt that those were things he would want kept to himself. _

_The redhead was holding his head tightly in one of his hands, breathing harshly. "Itachi…"_

"_I cannot be certain, but I believe you two just revealed your minds to each other. Since you are so young, and we've never really experimented with that type of thing, your minds are completely open to one another. You say you saw colors, could you also feel everything the other person has felt?" he asked, stepping forward._

"_I just need to lie down." Gaara murmured, not even focusing on what the others were saying. He'd never been so vulnerable to someone before. _

_Since Gaara was his main focus at the moment, Itachi walked over and picked the boy up, carrying him on his back. He looked at Neji before leaving. "Take care of her." He ordered, gesturing to Sakura and walking out the door. _

"_Alright!" he called after his elder. He looked back at Sakura and smiled. "Do you need anything Sakura? You're not feeling dizzy are you?"_

_She looked up at Neji, eyes full of an unnamed emotion. "I don't know. I feel…strange…but not in a bad way." Taira cooed, helping the girl sort out everything that had just happened._

"_Well if you're up to it…would you try it with me? I want to know what it was like." He said excitedly._

_She nodded, mentally preparing herself for what was going to happen. With the help of her dragon she stood, then grabbed the brunette's hand and placed it on Taira's side. '_Can you hear me?_' she asked, feeling kind of foolish._

"_Whoa! Yeah!" he exclaimed out loud and then tried to talk with his mind. '_I can hear you. And you can hear me?_' he questioned with his mind. _

'Yeah._' She said, smiling at him._

'Ok well…what do we do know?_'_

'I don't really know, it kind of just…happened. But if Itachi said it was because our minds were completely open to each other, then we should try to clear our thoughts. Maybe that will work._' She suggested._

_He nodded and let his mind clear, regulating his breathing and letting it all flow from him. He could feel something, but it was faint. A small glimmer of gold, like sunshine, was peeking through the darkness of his closed eyes. She did the same, but it wasn't like it was when she had done it with Gaara. She could feel something else there, but couldn't quite get a hold on it long enough to see its colors. So instead she tried to show Neji her own._

'It is pretty…_' he thought breathlessly, seeing the mix of gold and blue. But he didn't understand why Gaara had been so impacted by it. It was beautiful, but where were the emotions? It looked like he'd had the wind knocked out of him. '_Ok let me try and let you in mine._' He kept his mind open so she could try and get a glimpse._

_Suddenly she could see grey, and a bondi blue, almost blue-green color. It reminded her of the rain, so much so that she could almost smell it. '_Wow._' She thought. But there were no feelings, no emotions. They were completely closed off. "Weird." She said, opening her eyes. "I can't seem to feel your emotions or anything."_

"_Neither can I." he shrugged, removing his hand from the dragon. "Maybe you're just worn out from the overload with Gaara." He reasoned, nodding. That had to be it._

"_Maybe. Do you think we could get something to eat? All I really got on the journey over was stale bread and dried meat." She said, laughing slightly._

_He went wide eyed and nodded quickly. "Of course. I'm so sorry I didn't think of that earlier." He shook his head in disgrace. "Come on, you can meet my cousin and Ino as well. Maybe even Gaara's sister and Itachi's brother." He took her hand and led her off, back towards the palace._

They stopped telling the story when a loud grumble could be heard. All eyes trained on Naruto, who was gripping his stomach. "Sorry, but the talk of food has got me really hungry." The blonde admitted, smiling apologetically.

Kiba sighed and looked up at Itachi and Neji. One irritated, since the brunette had been in the middle of telling the story, and the other nostalgic, remembering a different part of their tale, since he had taken Gaara away. "Well I guess we should all get some food."

"And it was just getting to the best part. Where I come in." Ino huffed and stood up, stretching slowly. She felt her back pop and sighed with content.

Sakura rolled her eyes but remained silent, not wanting to ruin the mood. As everyone began to file out of the room, Sakura walked over to Neji and smiled. "Remember how disappointed you were when we found out it only worked with Gaara?" she asked. "You used to smile more back then."

He stood, his frown remaining on his face. "Yes, well that was before, when I thought I would be able to see what the colors and feel of your mind was like. Kind of crushed it when it was only Gaara who got to experience it, and he doesn't even want it." He said, walking towards the exit. He remembered clearly when they had announced Gaara was her destined mate. He'd never been so filled with rage. He'd never been jealous of Gaara until that moment. And it only worsened when Gaara rejected it with every fiber of his being.

She caught up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Neji, my mind isn't that amazing, trust me. I just wish you would smile a bit more often, it makes you look like less of a stickler." She teased, poking him in the side the way she used to. "You might even get a girlfriend."

"And what makes you think I want a girlfriend?" he stopped, looking down at her.

She looked up into his eyes and shrugged. "I don't know, but it's obvious to me that you have taken a slight interest in Lady Tenten. You should get to know her a bit more. Perhaps you will find what you're looking for."

"Sakura, you don't understand what it's like. To have hopes as a child and then to have them crushed, and then having to watch that hope suffer because of an idiot." He stopped and looked off, pressing his lips tightly together. "There was one time when I thought Gaara might actually care…I asked him once what your mind was like…he said it was like sunshine. Like beautiful sunshine that couldn't be covered by the clouds even if they filled the sky. So please, spare me." He held up his hand and started to walk off again.

She watched as her friend walked down the hallway with the others and let out a sigh. All she really wanted was for them to be happy. It bothered her that part of the reason they weren't close friends anymore was because of her marriage to Gaara. She followed the group, her stomach making her hunger known. It was interesting. Gaara had never told her that her mind was so pretty before. She would have to talk to him about that when he got back.


	5. Past: Beach

**Monogamy**

_Chapter Five_

-Past: Beach-

Once everyone was seated at the lunch table and had food in front of them, Naruto spoke up. "So what happened after that?" he asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"It isn't anything too interesting. All we did after that was get to know Sakura and train with our dragons and together as a group." Itachi said.

"Except for that day we went to the beach. Remember that?" Sakura asked, putting some salad on her fork.

"Oh you mean for Gaara's twelfth birthday?" Kiba asked with a mouthful of food.

The pink haired woman nodded. "Yes, that's it."

"Now that was a fond memory." Ino giggled, taking a sip of her water.

Sakura nodded, for once agreeing with the blonde woman. "Do you remember how we got Neji to let us bury him in the sand?" she asked, smiling happily over at the brunette.

Said brunette shivered. "Worst decision of my life."

"Come now Cousin, it was funny." Hinata said with a slight smile.

"I liked that vacation. Itachi spent most of it worrying about Gaara, because he thought he was going to get himself killed. It was pretty funny." The elder redhead snickered, nudging his friend's side.

Itachi gave his friend a serious look. "It was my duty at the time to watch over Gaara and make sure that he didn't cause himself harm. And it's not like I got any help from you on trying to control him." He said, taking a drink of water. Sasuke remained silent. He had loathed the younger redhead growing up, because he received more attention from his brother, and wasn't even grateful for it. Sasuke would have given anything to receive the concern and care from Itachi that the elder had shown the young prince.

"Gaara has a free spirit, he always has and he always will. On top of that, he's reckless. So of course you had trouble watching over him Itachi." Sakura said before eating another bite of her salad.

Naruto was just in awe. "I want to hear the whole story! This actually sounds interesting!"

"Well, I had been excited about Gaara's birthday, because we always did something fun whenever one of us got older. And when I had found out we were going to the beach, I was ecstatic, because I had never been." Sakura began.

* * *

"Gaara!" Sakura called, running up to the redhead who was down the hall.

He stopped, looking back at the approaching girl, and gave her a small smile. "Hey Sakura, what is it?" her asked curiously as she came to a halt in front of him.

"Happy Birthday!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him in a hug. Ever since she had arrived two years ago, she and Gaara had practically been inseparable. All four of the riders were really close, but because she and the redhead had been so deeply inside the other's mind, they had connected somehow. If she had to call one of the males her best friend, it would be Gaara. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, breathing out and then taking in her sweet scent.

"Thank you Sakura." Gaara gave her an appreciative look. "Though, it's not really different than any other day." He pointed out, looking through the window at the clear blue sky.

She looked up at him. "Of course it's different. It's the day you were born, which means that it's especially important to me. On top of that, we're going to the beach!" she threw her arms up in the air to emphasize her excitement.

"We're only going because you've never been, and I would much rather make you happy than think about myself." He laughed, scratching at his head nervously.

Her arms lowered and she looked at him in awe. "Really? Thank you so much!" she jumped on him once more, hugging him tightly. "You're the best person in the whole world." She said in his ear. Then she turned her head and kissed his cheek, blushing as she pulled away. She may only be eleven, but recently she'd been noticing even more lately the differences between herself and the boys, and had just recently discovered that she had a crush on Gaara. She would never tell him, for fear of ruining their friendship, and on top of that she was too shy, but if he perhaps told her, or indicated that he felt the same, then she would be able to work up the courage to confess.

He laughed, keeping his arms locked beneath her so he could keep her up. "Well Sakura, I know you find the most joy out of life and you seem to be able to make everyone happy. So if I make you happy, we can make everyone happy. It's like…a win-win situation." He explained, searching her beautiful emerald eyes. She was so pretty, just like springtime, when all the cherry blossoms were in bloom. He enjoyed her touch, a little bit more than he should. After all she was going to have to marry one of the three dragon riders. If he got too attached to her and wasn't chosen to be her mate, he didn't know how he would survive. Or ever be happy again. "Well…" he trailed off, blushing a bit from their extended contact. "You should probably go pack for the beach."

She hopped down from his hold and grabbed his hand, beginning to run back the way she had come. "Come with me! I need help deciding what to bring!" He followed after, not one to complain about getting to spend more time with the bubbling girl.

* * *

"Wow." Sakura said breathlessly, dropping her beach bag onto the sand as she stared out at the vast expanse of water.

"Hehe, you weren't kidding when you said Forehead had never been to the ocean." A long haired blonde snickered.

Gaara sent her a quick glare, silencing her. "Be quiet Ino. Many people have not seen the ocean." He huffed and walked after the ecstatic pink haired girl. Neji just passed her, followed by his younger cousin.

"Come on Ino." A young brunette laughed excitedly, running out onto the sand. Sasori sighed, pulling up his sunglasses.

"I can't believe I have to watch a bunch of kids just for my brother's birthday." The elder prince grumbled, covering his eyes as a large beast flew overhead swiftly. Niro landed in the water, causing a large wave to wash over those close to the beach. He roared happily, enjoying the salty water on his scales.

"Hn. At least you don't have to do it every day." Itachi said, watching his younger brother walk behind the group, not really joining in the excitement. The boy was such a loner, Itachi just didn't know what to do with him.

Having never been to the beach herself, Taira was a little apprehensive. She landed on the sand next to the water and stared at it curiously. Sure she had seen large bodies of water, such as the huge lake at the palace, but never one so…massive. She lowered her head and inhaled, breathing in the salty scent. A wave crashed onto the shore, causing some of the water to go into the dragon's nose. Taira shook her head violently and snorted, trying to get the stingy liquid out. Nope, she didn't see why this place was so great. At all.

Metsuki bounded off into the crash of the waves and dove under the water, swimming around happily. Niro sauntered towards Taira, a haughty look in his golden eyes. He twisted his neck around hers, catching her gaze in his. '_Afraid to get wet, delicate one?_' he purred, moving from her then and jumping into the water, splashing her with a large wave.

Gaara stared out at Niro and sighed. "Will you cut it out boy? You've been teasing poor Taira all week. Don't you want her to like the ocean?" he arched what could be a brow. Kiba stopped next to Gaara and smirked.

"I think he likes Taira, and is teasing her to cover up his crush."

The red dragon let out an outrageous roar and soared towards the brunette, snapping at him threateningly. "I take that as a yes." Gaara smirked, flicking his dragon's nose to make him back off.

Kuro appeared in the sky then and dove under the waves. He flew up from the water and found himself a nice spot of hot sand. He circled it, lie down, and shut his eyes, deciding for the moment it would be best until everyone calmed somewhat before he joined in the fun. He would much rather watch everyone make a fool of themselves anyways.

Shaking off the water, Taira glared at Niro. _'I'm not afraid of anything. How dare you insinuate such a ridiculous thing.'_ She said, flicking her tail at the larger dragon. Sakura rolled her eyes and continued to watch a school of fish swim in the waves. She wanted to take everything in first before doing anything.

Kiba and Gaara took off into the brilliant blue, splashing around playfully. Ino had laid out a towel for herself and for Hinata, laying back and enjoying the wonderful sun. Neji happened to be trying to catch Metsuki in the water. "Slow down! Your scales are too slippery underwater." He called after his companion. Metsuki's head appeared above the water and spat out a stream of water in Neji's face. He fell back, only to be caught by the beasts tail, who was snickering.

Niro just looked around and then focused back on the pink dragon. '_You are afraid. Timid and afraid. At least of one thing._' He grinned, revealing all his sharp teeth.

'_Yeah well it definitely isn't you.'_ She said, swiveling her head to look at the red dragon. _'If I were such a thing. Which I'm not.'_ She looked back at the water doubtfully, and then at Neji and his dragon, seeing how much fun they were having. She did like the water, and this salty stuff couldn't really be that bad. Slowly, she stepped into the water, so that her feet were completely submerged. _'See?'_ she said, looking triumphant.

Sakura began to pace the shoreline, beginning a search for the prettiest seashells she could find. After all, she didn't know when she would get to come back, and she wanted to remember this day forever.

Sasori just looked out at the group, crossing his arms. "So Itachi…what are you going to do if it's you who is Sakura's mate? She's a bit young, don't you think?" he asked, glancing to his silent best friend.

"If she is, we won't be wed until she turns sixteen. And even then, I will not force her to do anything she doesn't want." The Uchiha said. "If we are supposed to be mates, then age won't matter. There is a significant age difference between my father and mother, and they were the destined ones, so I am not worried about it." He crossed his arms then. "Besides, I can tell even now how much of a beauty she is going to be. Can't you?" In truth, Itachi didn't care much about the whole mating thing. What mattered to him was that if he and Sakura mated, he and Kuro would become the Alpha males. Because even though Taira wasn't mated yet, she was already acting as Alpha, along with Niro. If he should have the honor of being bound to the young girl, then he would have complete control over the dragons and the riders.

He studied the girl, watching her as she collected sea shells. "Hm. Yes…she will be very lovely." Sasori smirked and then looked at his friend. "You just want to have both Alpha statuses don't you?" He snickered.

"Shut up. It will make things easier, that's for sure. And I am the oldest of the riders, therefore I am more knowledgeable and wise. It only makes sense." Itachi said.

"Well if it isn't you, who do you want it to be?"

"Gaara. Not that Sakura and Neji don't get along fine, but those two have been close ever since she arrived, as with their dragons. It would be a shame if their friendship was destroyed by her having to be mated to Neji, because there has always been a slight rivalry between the two, especially when it comes to Sakura's affections."

"I didn't think Gaara's dragon liked Sakura's. He's always snapping at her and acting all high and mighty around her." Sasori said, walking out onto the beach and sitting down in the sand. "Gaara tells me that he teases the pink one all the time."

Itachi sat next to his friend and looked over at Kuro, who was now dozing lightly. "Perhaps he does so in order to cover his feelings for Taira. He probably doesn't want to get his hopes up of being the one chosen as her mate. None of the males do." He explained.

"Hm." The redhead looked out at the dragons and then the kids. "I hope it's you my friend…for Sakura's sake."

The elder rider looked to Sasori, slight puzzlement shown on his face. "What makes you say that? Weren't you just talking about our age difference?"

"Well, there is that." He shrugged, "But Neji is so old school and Sakura is a spitfire. And you know more than anyone how unstable my little brother is. That poor girl needs someone who isn't going to take her on a roller coaster ride."

"True." He agreed, looking out and watching the kids then.

Taira had yet to move from her spot standing two feet deep in the water. It simply wasn't holding much appeal for her at all. The fish looked funny, the sand felt funny, and the sea spray hurt when you got it in your eyes. She much more preferred lakes. At least then the water wasn't constantly moving and splashing you.

Gaara and Kiba ran up to Niro looking excited. "Niro! I've got a wicked idea." The redhead smirked, silencing the rest of their conversation. He hopped up onto the dragon's back and pulled Kiba up with him. Sasori leaned forward and pushed up his sunglasses once more.

"What are those two up to?" he wondered. Niro took off into the air and soared out and higher.

Itachi stood and watched as they flew higher into the sky. "Not anything good, that's for sure."

Hinata and Ino sat up, the blond shielding her eyes from the sun to try and watch what was happening. Gaara looked over at Kiba, and the two snickered deviously. "Alright Niro this is high enough." He pat the dragon and stood, jumping off from his back. Kiba did the same and the two yelled in pure adrenaline.

Hearing the shouts, Sakura looked up and went wide eyed. "Oh my gosh! Gaara!" she exclaimed, slightly worried. Itachi just looked like he was having a heart attack. Sasori started laughing, holding his sides to try and help ease the break out. All they saw from the distance were two large splashes out in the depths. Niro shot down and dropped into the water, creating a large wave to reach all the way to the beach.

Taira hissed and tried to get out of the way of the wave, but wound up getting soaked anyways. Sakura did as well, and just stood on the shore, drenched, clutching her shells as if her life depended on it. When the two boys surfaced, Itachi was standing on the shoreline.

"What the hell do you think you are doing? You could have gotten hurt, or worse, died! Do you realize how much trouble I would get into if you come back to the castle damaged?" the elder Uchiha asked, crossing his arms. "Nevermind. Don't do anything that reckless again, or it will be a long time before we come back."

A wave of sadness overcame Sasuke as he watched the whole scene. He had been doodling in the sand when it had all happened, but now his drawings were washed away. His brother was actually showing emotions, which was rare, and something only the redhead could seem to get him to do for the most part. Sasuke hated the prince for it. Frowning, he began his doodles all over again.

Gaara just laughed, sitting up on his knees. "Itachi, I'm fine aren't I? Niro was there if anything happened, and free falling is awesome!" the redhead finally stood and gave his watcher a smirk. "Besides, it was much safer than what I did two days ago. Niro took me up as high as we could go and then I free fell and he caught me. It was fantastic! The rush was amazing!" he set his fists on his hips and let out a deep breath.

The Uchiha just sighed and began to rub his temples in irritation. "You're going to be the death of me someday, I swear."

Upset at having gotten completely wet, Taira decided to enact revenge. She was in the air, and before Niro knew what hit him, she dove and tackled him into the water. _'Aha! Take that!'_ she said gleefully, surfacing and floating on the top. Now that she was actually out there, it wasn't all that bad.

Unfortunately, the male was not accustomed to rough play, and his reaction to the attack was far from friendly. He snapped at Taira, and before he could stop his reflex, he ripped a huge chunk out of her wing, earning a loud shrill roar of pain. Gaara spun around, wide eyed, he looked absolutely horrified. "NIRO!"

Kuro looked up from his nap at the sound, and Neji and Metsuki had stopped playing. "Taira!" Sakura screamed, dropping her shells and running to meet her dragon, who had crawled out of the ocean in order to get away from the sting of the salty water. The female dragon began to lick the wound, grimacing at the pain and taste of the ocean water. "Are you okay?" she asked, coming to a stop by her dragon.

_'Fine.'_ Taira replied tersely, glancing at her mistress.

Gaara was beside Sakura quickly and frowned at the sight. It was a pretty bad gash, but nothing that wouldn't heal quickly. He glanced at Sakura and gave her a slightly irritated look. "Sakura, doesn't your dragon know not to pounce down on another's back? That's their only blind spot." In no way was he trying to excuse what his dragon had done, but it was basic knowledge when you had a lot of dragons together.

"She was only playing. I doubt in her first attempt to have fun in a place she's never been and didn't initially like she was thinking of the consequences." Sakura replied, returning his glare.

By now Niro had come back to the shore, shaking off all the water. He craned his neck, looking over at Taira and making his way hesitantly towards her. Everyone could see the sadness portrayed on his face. He stopped once he was a mere foot away from the wounded dragon and made sure he had her eye before he did what he did. He lowered down, lying flat on his belly and resting his neck and head flat on the ground. '_Please forgive me…_' Sakura heard drift across her mind. Gaara turned away from the pink haired girl and went wide eyed, as did everyone else, seeing his dragon acting submissive to another.

Taira looked at him, slightly in awe. She stopped cleaning her wound and cooed at the male dragon. _'It was my fault.' _She said, nudging his cheek to show that she wasn't upset with him. It was more anger at herself for being so stupid.

He got up and moved closer to her, pressing his snout against her and then turning his head so he could look at the wound. He pressed his head forward and started to clean the wound for her, since she didn't seem to like the salt water, and it didn't really bother him.

Seeing that everything was okay, Sakura remembered her dropped sea shells. She ran over to where they had been, but by then the tide had taken all of them away, save for one. It was a large shell that looked like one a snail would use, and had multiple shades of blue on it. She let out a dejected sigh. 'At least I still have one left.' She thought, turning and walking back to Taira and Niro.

Ino was over by the dragons now, doing a small healing spell since she wasn't a master yet. Surprisingly it wasn't too difficult. The wing healed up perfectly and Taira was up and at it once more. Sasori sighed and walked up to Itachi, watching as the merriment continued. "Wow. That was new, even for me."

"Yes. The fact that Niro did that, especially with the other two males present, signifies something. I do not know whether or not it means he and Taira are destined to be mates, or that he likes her more than he's letting on. Either way, it's probably something we won't ever see again." Itachi said, rubbing his chin.

"Well, Niro is an alpha male in a single female environment…so you never know." Sasori said, replacing his shades. "I'm going to get some ice cream. Want some?"

"Yeah, just plain vanilla." He said as the redhead walked away. Sakura ran up to him then.

"Hey Itachi, will you hold onto my shell please? I don't want to lose this one too." She said with a bright smile. He nodded and took the blue shell from her, watching her run back to go play in the waves.

Gaara and Kiba were literally butting heads along the beach, each holding a plastic shovel. "There's no way I would ever lose to you in something so trivial!" the redhead glared. Itachi let out a long sigh. Kiba and Gaara's friendship was so bi-polar. One moment they're jumping off a dragon from five hundred feet in the air, having a blast. The next, they're trying to kill each other over something stupid.

"Just because you're a prince doesn't mean you're the best at everything!" Kiba yelled back. Both lashed out at one another, a fury of kicks and punches.

Itachi pointed over at the two. "Hey! You two need to knock it off! What are you even arguing about this time?" he asked.

They both stopped, looking over at the head rider. Gaara was holding Kiba's throat, while Kiba was trying to rip out Gaara's hair. They dropped their holds and huffed. "He thinks that he can build a better sand castle than me!" they both shouted and pointed at one another accusingly.

The elder held in a groan. "So why don't you each build a sand castle and have Neji judge which one is better." He suggested.

"That'll take too long if we have to do it by ourselves." Kiba whined.

"Then why don't you ask the girls for help?"

Both boys blinked and then looked at one another.

"Sakura!"

"Ino!"

Both girls looked over at them curiously.

"What?" they asked at the same time.

"Help us build a sand castle!" they called over.

Without further ado, Sakura ran over to the boys, stopping when she was in front of Gaara. She sat in the sand next to him and gave him an unsure look. "I'll help, but I've never made one before." She admitted.

"That's ok." He said excitedly, digging through their large bag they had brought. He pulled out two pails and headed back to her. Kiba did the same and pulled Ino with him, going a bit off to make some distance between their building sites.

"We're going to beat you!" Kiba called, and Sakura couldn't help but notice the small blush on the blonde's face.

Gaara kneeled down beside her and began to explain the techniques you could use. "Now we just need to use some damp sand to pack into the pails."

"I'll go get some." She said, grabbing the pails and heading towards the water. She came back, both of the buckets brimming with water. "Is this enough?"

He nodded and started smoothing out the area they would be using. "Pack it nice and tight so that it doesn't fall apart. Those will be the cornerstones."

"Okay." She did as she was told and then went to get two more buckets, doing the same with those when she came back. "Now what?" she asked when she finished.

"Well, we're going to want to do the entire castle, before doing the walls so we don't accidently build anything." He flipped the pails over and made sure they stuck well before removing them. He started to smooth it out and start adding more sand and building it up. He showed her how to make sure the sand would stay and not crumble back down. "Here," he shook his head when she was doing it wrong, taking her hands and placing them over the cold, moist sand. He set his hands on hers and began to form her hands around the grains. "See?"

"Uh huh." She said with a nod, blushing slightly at their contact. Taira came over and watched them curiously, tilting her head to the side.

"Great," he smiled, removing his hands and starting on the other side. "Ours is going to win hands down. After all, we're both dragon riders right?" he smiled and peered around the sand. "You know…" he paused and looked off. "If it ends up that you and I are the ones who have to get married, you'll be a princess."

She paused in forming the sand and looked at him, slightly wide eyed. "Yeah…but I never really thought about it. I mean, the fact that I'll be a princess doesn't matter to me, as much as that I'll get to be with you. Forever." She said softly, her blush darkening.

"Well, technically it wouldn't be forever. Cause' we're going to die eventually, and we'll always be together. I mean all four of us you know. So you'll always have me in some way or the other." He smiled, trying to save himself from his plunging stomach. He couldn't allow himself to think anymore on the matter. It wouldn't end well if he wasn't the one destined to be with Sakura.

"Yeah." She murmured, looking down. She hoped it was Gaara she got to marry. Not wanting things to get any worse, she decided to change the subject. "So, what do I do now?" she asked, having finished her side of the sand. He looked up and examined her work. It was pretty good.

"Now we tip the towers and then build the wall. Smooth out the middle and then carve out a mote. Nothing too much." He grabbed some more sand and started to form the spires. She looked at what he was doing and mimicked his actions.

They continued on the castle until finally moving to the wall and making sure it was all straight. Finally, they dug the mote and sat back, taking in their masterpiece. "Great! I'll go get Itachi!" Gaara said, pushing up from the ground and running towards where the elder Uchiha had been. He stopped, slowing as he passed Kiba and Ino's massive castle. "What the hell you cheaters!" he pointed accusingly up at the two, who were perched on a balcony made of sand.

"Oh, ho ho. You never said no magic Lord Gaara." Ino pointed out, giggling as Kiba laughed.

'_Want me to knock it over?'_ Taira asked, looking down at her mistress, whose mouth was agape. The young girl looked at her dragon and shook her head.

'No Taira, we won't stoop to cheating in order to win. Then we would be on their level.' She responded wisely. The pink dragon just snorted.

'_Pity, I could even make it so the blonde lands on her rear. It would be funny.'_ Sakura giggled at this. It would be funny, but she was just happy that she'd finally be able to say she knew how to build a sand castle. And it was all thanks to Gaara.

There was a low rumble, and only then did they realize the sound was coming from the ground. The giant sand castle burst into grains, toppling over as Niro roared excitedly. Gaara started laughing as Kiba and Ino pulled themselves from the piles of sand. "Hey now!" Kiba yelled up at Niro, who just snickered.

Sakura tried to hold in her giggles, but she just couldn't help herself, so she let out a snicker. It was really funny to see Ino fall to the ground, just as Taira said. The pink dragon squawked excitedly, her tail wagging. She may have agreed not to do such a thing, but that didn't mean she wasn't still for it.

Sasori walked back over to Itachi, offering him an ice cream cone. "Come on everyone. Let's eat some lunch before things get too crazy again." The redhead ordered, having the dragons run over to him excitedly. They were all starving after all. Kiba was out of the sand in an instant.

"Oh heck yeah!" he cheered as he and Gaara ran towards the others.

Once everyone was done with lunch, Sakura somehow convinced Neji to let her bury him in the sand. It was too hard to resist her when she gave them her puppy dog look. She had had years to perfect it after all, once she discovered that each of the boys were susceptible to it. Even Itachi. But the entire event had turned out horribly when a crab had crawled up the young Hyuuga's swim trunks. After that crisis was averted, the kids had played marco polo for a while, and Sasori and Itachi joined in for a bit, both tired of baking in the sun. Then, just as sunset began, they lit the candles on Gaara's birthday cake and gathered around to sing to him.

"Make a wish Gaara!" Sakura said excitedly, clapping her hands together. Her favorite part of birthdays was the wish making, because wishes were magical, and they always came true. At least, that's what she believed.

He looked deep in thought. "A wish…" he nodded and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and blowing out all twelve candles.

"Happy birthday Gaara." Ino smiled happily.

"Yeah Happy birthday!" Kiba cheered along.

Neji smiled and pat his friend's shoulder. "Another great year."

Sakura hugged him affectionately. "Yay! Now your wish will come true someday." She said, watching as Itachi cut the cake for everyone.

The younger redhead smiled at her, "I sure hope so, someday." He said, looking around at his friends and taking an offered piece.

Sasori placed a hand on Gaara's shoulder and gave him a small smile. "Happy birthday Gaara." He looked up and seemed to brighten with his brother's attention.

"Thanks. This is the best birthday I've ever had." He told them all.

* * *

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm sorry but this can't be true. Lord Gaara smiling? And happy? There's just no way!" Naruto exclaimed, interrupting the story.

Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "Naruto, even Neji and Itachi used to smile and joke around. People are happier when they're kids and still have some innocence left. It wasn't until the massacre that Gaara stopped smiling." She said, causing the others to nod in agreement.

"Why? I mean, you were all involved in it, and yet Lady Sakura still smiles, and even you two smirk every once in a while." The blonde asked, gesturing to the two male dragon riders.

Sasori slammed his hands on the table, glaring at the blonde. "Because the massacre could have been avoided if Gaara had just followed orders. Now stop asking questions. I don't want to hear anything more on the matter." He snapped, leaving the room quickly. Temari just frowned and got up, following her brother out to make sure he was going to be alright.

Itachi wordlessly stood and went after them, not wanting to discuss the matter. It was a painful memory, and he couldn't help but think that in some way it might have been his fault as well. Kiba looked over at Ino, who seemed terribly distraught. "Hey Ino, why don't you go lie down? You don't look so well." The blonde looked up and stared at him for a while.

"Yeah…you're right." She nodded and got up, leaving the room. Tenten seemed to catch on that she should leave and took hold of Hinata's arm and pulled her out as well to go find something to do. It was only Kiba, Neji, Sakura, and Naruto sitting around the table.

"Naruto…you have to understand…that was a very dark day."

"So many people died." Sakura whispered, her gaze distant as she looked to the past.

"Look, you don't have to tell me if it's too painful. I didn't mean to make everyone upset." The blonde man said, feeling guilty over asking so many questions. But he couldn't help it, he was naturally curious about things, it was his nature.

Neji shook his head. "No Naruto. If you are going to stay, you need to understand what it was that changed all of us."

Kiba glanced up at Naruto and frowned. "That was when Gaara completely changed into what he is today."

"At the time, he thought he knew what was best to do, since he was a prince and all, and his dragon was Alpha. It was the first, and last, time Gaara ever disobeyed Itachi's orders." Sakura explained.

Neji stared at the mahogany, tapping his fingers, a frown etched into his features. "It all started when the volcano at Mount Vroengard started to go critical…"


	6. Past: Massacre

**Monogamy**

_Chapter Six_

-Massacre-

_Four large shadows darted over the tree tops, surging toward a large mountain that seemed to be bleeding red. 'Do we know what caused the eruption?' Neji thought, looking over at a long, sleek and slender black dragon. At this proximity, all four of the riders could communicate telepathically through their dragons. _

_Itachi was gripping tightly to the saddle that was strapped around Kuro. 'A small terrorist group had a run of bad luck with their mining business, so they are taking it out on the town. Unfortunately, that's not all the bad news. There were three dormant dragons in that volcano and they are now running wild around the area.'_

'Bad dragons.'_ Niro growled lowly. _

_Metsuki nodded, '_Very bad. Do not waste time with them master. Rogues.'

'_The volcano must be stopped before it begins to overflow. If the dragons attack the villagers, take care of them. We can search for the terrorists later, our main priority is the village and its inhabitants.' Itachi told them._

'_Shouldn't the dragons be the main priority? I mean…they're more aggressive than some mountain.' Gaara glanced over._

_Itachi shook his head. 'If they do not attack any of the villagers or us, do not grab the dragon's attention. We must save as many of the villager's lives as possible and try to either halt the flow of magma or redirect it so that the town isn't destroyed.' He instructed. Sakura nodded, agreeing with him._

_Neji inwardly sighed. It wasn't like the task was easy, and that was only if those dragons didn't make it worse. The redhead glared at the dark dragon, 'What if they dragons make the fire worse? I really think at least one of us should keep them occupied. They're unpredictable, and if they are busy they won't do anything rash.'_

'_Gaara. Just do as I say. On the off chance that any of the rogues make a move on the village or in making the eruption worse, I will handle it. You three will just continue to help aid the villagers and stop the volcano. Got it?' the elder Uchiha asked._

'_Got it.' Sakura said, already steering Taira over to help a group of children._

'_Roger.' Neji nodded. Gaara just remained silent. He wasn't too thrilled about this strategy and it made him uncomfortable. He didn't like being caught off guard. _

_Itachi flew up to the volcano and assessed its condition. It was probably going to blow soon, and he needed to create a pathway for the lava to flow so that it didn't harm the village. Steering Kuro, he began to dig a trail out of the side of the volcano for the lava to flow. Sakura was busy running around the village and finding the children that had been separated from their families in the commotion, and was piling them on Taira's back. Once the dragon was full she took to the sky and headed to a clearing in the forest far enough away to where they would be safe._

_Neji and Gaara stood, watching their dragons as they dug a trench at the top of the village so that they could at least attempt to redirect the flow. There was a loud roar and the two looked up, seeing a scaly winged beast soar over and then disappear into the trees. The redhead grimaced. "We should be dealing with them. I bet they're just waiting till the townsfolk are down and then they'll scoop them up."_

_Itachi flew by Sakura then. 'Sakura, I need you and Taira to come help me. There was a landslide, and it will take twice as long to even begin the trenches on the other side of the mountain if I do it myself.' He said._

'_Okay.' She followed him then, figuring that Neji and Gaara could take care of the rest of the villagers._

"_Alright come on!" Neji started to call, leading some of the villagers off. "We need to leave the village and go as far as possible!" Gaara just crossed his arms and looked back to the dragons that were lowering into the ground and scraping up dirt. There was another angry roar and suddenly a blaze of fire shot at the town, lighting a couple of the buildings on fire. A dark, raggedy purple dragon flew over and looked down, spotting the redhead. He made an odd sound, and another, pale green dragon burst from the trees, setting them ablaze. _

_The two darted down and opened their massive jaws making Gaara go wide eyed. Niro was out of the ditch in a second, surrounding his master and inhaling deeply before blowing fire at the two, steering them off. The redhead climbed on top of his dragon and leaned closer. 'I told him. Now let's go Niro, we need to kill those dragons before they set the whole forest on fire and start eating the fresh meat.'_

_The red dragon gave a sharp nod and took off. Neji ran back, looking up and shouting after Gaara. "Where are you going? Metsuki can't dig it by himself Gaara!"_

_Neji cursed and looked around the area, there were still hundreds of them left. He couldn't take them away with Metsuki. He tried rushing the villagers out, having managed to get most of the kids and women out into the forest. But it was taking too much time. Suddenly the earth shook and the cap of the volcano erupted, causing fire and lava to shoot everywhere. "No!" he yelled, going wide eyed as the magma surged towards the town._

_By then Itachi and Sakura had cleared out the landside, and had built most of the required trenches needed on the side of the mountain. When it exploded they took off from the mountain, flying out of the area so that they wouldn't get hit with the lava or any of the noxious fumes coming from the volcano._

_When they landed the entire village was covered in mostly dried magma. The two riders looked around and saw mangled hands coming from the ground, making it apparent that the villagers had tried to swim out of the hot lava. Metsuki and Niro were each perched on a rooftop, looking grim and covered in soot. Their heads were lowered, both looking at the darkened red head, who seemed to be frozen. Neji had his back to the two, watching Gaara with a sad look. Both boys had blackened clothes, slightly burnt from the heat. _

_Sakura got off Taira and walked over to the brunette. "Neji, are you alright?" she asked, full of concern. Before he could answer Itachi dismounted and walked over until he was between the two boys. _

"_What the hell happened?" he asked, showing his anger. _

"_Well," Neji spoke up, since Gaara didn't even move. "We were trying to get the villagers out…but the dragons attacked. So Gaara went after them…but all of the people…" he stopped, his frown deepening. "They didn't make it out in time. I miscalculated their safety. I apologize."_

_Angry cobalt eyes shifted until they were on the redhead. He walked over to him and gripped his shirt fiercely in one hand and lifted him off the ground so that they were eye level. "Why did you disobey me and go against what I ordered you to do?" he asked in a dangerously low tone, shaking the boy slightly._

_Gaara finally tore his gaze from all the charred bodies and up into Itachi's dark eyes. His deep jade depths looked dead and lifeless. "I thought I could handle it…" he looked as if he were about make an excuse. "I'm sorry. I take full responsibility."_

"_Good." Was all the elder rider said before setting him back down to the ground. Then he turned on his heels and walked back towards Kuro. "Come, we must return to the castle and inform Sasori of this loss." He ordered. Sakura gave Gaara a sad look and went back over to Taira, wordlessly getting back on her dragon._

_Neji did the same, as did Itachi. Finally Gaara moved towards Niro, who jumped down, wrapping around the young prince in attempts to comfort him. He got on and something odd happened between the four. Gaara's mind was literally blocked off, and they could feel it. Sakura even tried to reach out to him, but was immediately turned away._

"So we went and told Sasori what had happened. When that was over Gaara left, and he never really told us what happened when he left Neji. Ever since then he's been closed off, kind of the way he is now." Sakura said.

Naruto just sat there, his normally cheerful demeanor gone. "Wow…that really…sucks." He said.

"Yes, but," Kiba interjected. "What no one does know is that those dragons were headed straight for the town nearby. Where the third dragon was already feasting on a couple of the villagers." He glared, somewhat irritated that no one had known why Gaara did what he did.

Sakura looked at the brunette. "Really? Gaara never told me what happened, and I was afraid to ask, because I didn't want him to get mad at me."

"He never told anyone but me. Because he doesn't think it was the right decision."

"But he saved the other village, that counts for something. If he had just told Itachi, perhaps he wouldn't have been so upset." She said, her mind already thinking of how things could have been different if Gaara'd told them what happened. But she knew Gaara, and knew that he had probably beaten himself up over it and blamed all of those villager's deaths on himself.

Kiba stood and shook his head. "It wouldn't have changed anything Sakura. Or at least we don't know. Unfortunately that's all I know that happened. Gaara never told me the rest or what did happen there."

There was a silence then, and everyone was lost in their own thoughts on the matter. Then Naruto spoke up. "But…I mean…he would have been happy to find out he was the one to marry Lady Sakura, right? Since you two were such good friends."

The pink haired woman shook her head. "After that Gaara and I grew apart. He didn't talk to me as much as he did before, and I figured that he was still scarred from the volcano ordeal, so I never pushed it."

_She walked down the corridor, a huge smile on her face. Today was not only her sixteenth birthday, it was the day she would find out who she was going to marry. She was slightly nervous about the whole ordeal though, because she loved all three of the male riders. But Gaara had remained the one she'd hoped for, even if they weren't close anymore. If it was Neji she was to marry, she would be okay with that. Ever since the volcano incident she and the brunette had grown closer, especially since Gaara seemed to push her away. And if it was Itachi, well, he was handsome at twenty-one, and if it was meant to be, then she would learn to ignore the age difference._

_Before entering the room, she smoothed out the emerald dress she was wearing. Her birthday was one of the only days she ever wore such clothing, because she liked to look pretty on it. She pushed open the door and smiled at everyone as she walked in. "Hi guys!" she greeted, walking over to the group. _

_Assembled were Itachi, Neji, and Gaara, standing in a line similar to the one when she had first met them. Sasori was there too, and at the front of the room stood the four dragon caretakers. There was a pedestal in the middle of their semi-circle, and on it was the egg Taira was hatched from. Next to it was an empty pedestal, and she assumed that was where the egg of the dragon whose rider she was to marry would go._

_Itachi took her hand and kissed it, smiling slightly at her. "Happy birthday Sakura." He said, straightening._

"_Happy birthday Sakura." Neji bowed to her respectfully. The doors burst open and Kiba and Ino ran in together, hugging Sakura. _

"_Happy birthday!" they cheered together. The blonde offered her a single white lily. "It's an enchanted flower, and will never wilt. But depending on your mood, will depend how much it blooms." _

_She smiled happily and took the flower, and suddenly it opened widely. "Wow! Thank you Ino!" she said. "It's beautiful."_

"_No problem!" she clapped her hands together. Hinata came in as well and then in a mad dash, a blur of green ran past and hugged Sakura tightly._

"_Oh my precious lovely mistress! You are the apple of my eye. It pains me to say that you are to be married!"_

_She grimaced slightly. "Lee, if you don't get off of me, I'm going to replace you." She threatened. The green-clad man did just that._

"_Yes my precious lovely mistress! As you command!" he said, saluting. She just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms._

"_Weirdo." _

_Hinata moved behind Neji as Kiba stopped behind Gaara, waiting for the news. Sasuke entered then and stood behind Itachi. "You are late." The elder said without even looking at him._

"_My apologies. Mother needed my assistance." Was all he said._

"_Hn."_

_One of the caretakers stepped forward then. "Happy birthday my Lady." He said, smiling. "If you don't mind, we would like to get this started."_

_She nodded. "By all means."_

_Gaara remained silent, as was his usual demeanor these days. He had his arms crossed over his chest and focused forward for the first time on the men. Neji took a deep breath and watched as the caretakers murmured to one another. He really hoped that he would be the one to marry Sakura. She was beautiful and brilliant, and of the three he thought he deserved her the most. Itachi was so much older than her and Gaara…well Gaara seemed to not want anything to do with any of them. He would treat her right and she would always be with him. He would make sure of it, so nothing could ever happen. _

"_Now presenting." The caretakers announced, lifting up a blood red dragon egg, which had a huge hole in the top from where the dragon had emerged. Everyone went wide eyed, even Sasori seemed shocked. Neji and Itachi looked over to Gaara, who looked absolutely horrified._

_Upon first seeing the egg, Sakura had been the happiest she'd ever felt in her life, and the flower in her hand seemed to glow in her happiness. But when she looked over at the redhead, her happiness fell from her face, causing the flower to close slightly._

"_What?" the redhead demanded, glaring up at his brother and the other four. "Why me?"_

"_It is preordained Lord Gaara. That is the only explanation we can offer. You should be happy." One of the men said._

"_Gaara." Neji glared, elbowing him painfully. Gaara smacked his arm away and returned his glare to the others, stepping forward. _

"_But that doesn't make any sense! Why not Neji or Itachi?"_

"_It is why you were able to see into Sakura's mind completely when you two first met." Itachi said, speaking up. "Both Neji and I tried to do the same, out of curiosity, and were only able to see the colors, not her thoughts or feelings."_

_He frowned, looking at Sakura and then back to his dragon's egg. "This was a terrible decision. The fates must have a sick sense of humor." He spat out and left, slamming the door behind him. Sasori just stared after him._

"_I will go speak with him." He said simply, leaving after the younger redhead._

_Sakura just stood there, motionless. She had thought this would be the happiest day of her life, and yet it had turned out to be the worst. The one person she had hoped to spend the rest of her life with didn't want her. At all. A tear rolled down her cheek, and the lily in her hand closed completely, until it was only a bud. _

_Kiba was a bit flabbergasted. He ran and stopped in front of Sakura, waving his hands in the air. "No, no, no my Lady! He doesn't mean that he's just…in shock is all!" he nodded. "Just wait right there." He held up a finger and ran off to go find Gaara. _

"_I will speak to him as well." Itachi said, following after the frantic brunette._

_Sakura continued to stare at the two eggs. It all made sense to her. Niro and Taira had been almost inseparable, and their behavior towards each other now had an explanation. She just didn't understand why Gaara was so against it. Was it something she had done? Or said? "He…doesn't want me." She whispered._

_Neji looked over at Sakura and hugged her tightly. "It's ok Sakura. It's ok. Just think, in a year you won't even have to see him but once a year."_

_She looked up at him. "But…I wanted him. I'd be the best wife anybody could ask for. And he doesn't even want me." She buried her head in his shirt and began to cry harder. This was the worst birthday ever. He tried to sooth her by running his fingers through her hair. It made him sad to think she was in so much pain because of Gaara. _

"_It'll be ok Sakura. It'll be ok." He repeated, keeping a tight hold on her. They stayed that way for a short while, until the doors opened and Gaara walked back in, not looking much happier. He stopped in front of the two and gave Neji a hard look. When the brunette didn't let up on his grip, Gaara grabbed Sakura by the arm and pulled her out of his grasp. _

"_Fine. Let's just get it over with already." He snapped, keeping her at his side. _

_Sakura ripped her arm from his grasp and glared at him. "Don't touch me." She said. If he didn't want her, then she didn't want him either. She wasn't going to just sit back as he was mean to her for something she had no control over either. It wasn't in her nature to be submissive._

_He actually looked a bit surprised, but it quickly vanished. "Fine then. If that's what you wish I won't. Do whatever you want, I don't care." He said, facing away and heading for the door once more. Sasori and Itachi watched him walk past. "I agreed ok." He said, before either of them could say anything. _

"And that's pretty much where it all started. So now you're all caught up." Sakura said, standing from her chair and stretching. She looked to the window and saw how late it was already getting dark. "I'm going to go to bed." She said, leaving the room. She was tired of reliving the past, and had a lot of things she wanted to think about.

Naruto watched her go and then looked at Kiba. "That's really sad. That they don't even try to be a married couple." He said.

"Nope." He said simply, heading for the door. "But at least he doesn't control her like the clans would try to do." He pointed out before leaving as well to go find something to eat. Naruto left as well, deciding to find Hinata. He thought she was really pretty, and was trying to woo her, even though he was really bad at it.


	7. Return

**Monogamy**

_Chapter Seven_

-Return-

Gaara walked through the massive halls of the palace, coming from the kitchen. He had some ice wrapped with cloth pressed against his jaw. He was still dressed in all his armor, and was intent on getting to his room and falling straight to sleep. Sasori had sent him to investigate some suspicious behavior from the dragons. They were acting strange, especially when they attacked him. But it wasn't anything he couldn't handle, and they were all dealt with and put back in their place.

He pushed open the door to his room and pulled off his two swords, dropping them in one of the chairs. He was too tired to notice that the bed was still made and no one inhabited it. He stopped at his dresser and looked back, then around the room. Where was Sakura? He dropped his ice pack down on floor and went over to the balcony, stepping through the doorway.

Sakura was sitting on the edge, staring out at the starry sky. She was in her white night gown, and had her knees drawn up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. "I always thought, that your mind reminded me of the moon. Sometimes when I look at it, it makes me think of you, and I wonder if you ever think of me." She said, still looking out at the large full moon.

"My mind isn't like that anymore." He said with a sigh, walking towards the edge and setting his hands down. "Why aren't you asleep?"

She looked at him then. "I wanted to wait for you to come back. And I couldn't sleep, not after today."

"Did something happen while I was away?" he asked, actually sounding worried. "You didn't get hurt did you?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. But, we had to kind of explain how things work around here to Naruto. So we told him about when I first came here, and then your twelfth birthday, and the volcano, and…my sixteenth birthday." She said softly, her gaze lowering.

"Why would you tell him that stuff? It's only depressing."

"He needed to know. And everyone was tired of him asking all these stupid questions." She said, and then she looked back up at him and stood so that she was standing next to him. "Gaara?" she asked, placing her hand on his arm. "Will you…tell me what happened? That day?" She just had to know. If she was going to try and make their marriage work fully, she had to know what had caused him to change so drastically from the boy she had first met.

He frowned and moved away from her, "I don't want to talk about it." He glared, but it wasn't directed at her.

"But Gaara, I need to know. Please." She pleaded.

"Why?" he yelled, finally looking at her with a threatening gaze. "Why do you need to know that? No one needs to know but me!"

"Because I'm your wife!" she yelled back. "You were my best friend Gaara. I wanted to be there for you, but you pushed me away. And although I'm glad that it was you I was chosen to be with, I feel like this will always be between us if we don't talk about it. Ignoring it isn't going to make it go away." She said, her eyes beginning to water from all of her pent up emotions caused by the day's memories.

He leaned closer to her, his glare only intensifying. "It makes it go away for me." He snapped, turning away from her and walking back into their room. He pulled off his cloak and threw it down, starting to get off all his armor.

She followed him into the room. "Please. If something horrible had happened that made me shut out the world you would want to know what it was. Wouldn't you?" she asked, hugging herself.

"I wouldn't make you if you didn't want to. I never have." He said sharply, dropping some of the metal onto the floor. Finally he was down to the fabric and pulled off his dark shirt, searching for another one to sleep in.

"But I would tell you. Because we're mates Gaara, whether you like it or not. And as my mate you have a right to know." She continued.

He stopped and looked back at her, giving her a taunting laugh. "Are you really going to _make_ me tell you?"

She crossed her arms. "Yes, I would. It doesn't matter how long it takes or what methods I have to use, but eventually I'd get you to tell me." She said. "And don't pretend you wouldn't do the same. We both know you hate it when I don't tell you what's bothering me. It's been that way since we were kids."

"Whatever. I still don't set out on a mission for it. If you want to tell me you do and you _always _do. And it's not like you can read my mind, so good luck with that." He smirked and then froze, his haughty look falling right off his face. In turn, she let a smirk crawl up her own features.

There was a sudden shake as Niro landed down roughly on the balcony, snaking his head into the room and looking between the two. There was another thud and Taira stuck her head in as well, looking at her mistress. '_You rang, my Lady._' Niro glanced towards the pink haired woman.

"Oh no! No, no, no, no, NO!" Gaara yelled. "I refuse. I absolutely refuse!"

"It doesn't matter. I said I would use whatever means necessary, and I meant it." Sakura said, and then she looked at Niro. "I want to know what happened on the day the volcano erupted. I tried to reason with him, I even asked nicely, and he won't tell me. So I'm resorting to force."

'_But Mistress…that was a very sad day._'

"I know. But I'm tired of being left in the dark when it comes to Gaara's feelings. I have to know what happened." She said.

'_I am sorry…but it is not my place to say._' He bowed his head respectfully. Sakura frowned, but Niro turned his head to his master, a low growl coming from the beast.

"I said no Niro." The redhead glared at the dragon. Niro was silent now to Sakura, obviously blocking Taira from his mind. "No! I don't want to!" the red dragon snapped at Gaara, making him go wide eyed. "Ok!" he moved against the wall, trying to get to his bed. "I'll tell her."

Sakura sat on the bed and crossed her legs, looking at him expectantly. She knew that what he was going to tell her wouldn't be good, but she couldn't help but feel happy that he was at least finally telling her. It had pained her when he'd turned her away and not talked to her about it before.

"But you have to leave. I don't want any of you picking up on my feelings or anything. Ok?" he pointed at the dragons. Niro just huffed and blew smoke at him before pulling out of the room. Taira followed wordlessly, praying that everything went well for the two. Her mistress had been waiting for this for a long time after all.

When they were both gone, Gaara finally sat down on his side of the bed, avoiding her gaze, until he finally looked at her. "Well…what exactly do you want to know about?"

"Everything that happened after I left to help Itachi." She said.

He sighed, scratching his head. "Well two of the dragons were starting to attack the village, and then Niro said something about the third calling them. So I went after them. They were headed towards a nearby village and the third one was already eating the villagers. I had to do something, I couldn't just go back and find Itachi. And we were too far out to communicate with Neji and Metsuki." He tapped at the sheets, unable to look at her anymore. "So I fought them, but they weren't easy and…" he stopped. "Niro almost died…protecting me."

"What?" she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. If Taira had ever almost died protecting her, she didn't know how she would feel. To lose her dragon, someone who knew her better than anyone else, and had always been there for her, would be devastating.

"I had managed to bring one down myself. And Niro was handling another, but the third one, the one that was lighting the town ablaze, burst through one of the barns and attacked me. Giving me this," he raised his arm to reveal a long thin white scar reaching from his hip and stopping just below his arm pit. "Niro came after him and attacked the other dragon, and the second one started after him as well. It was terrible and I had to help, but I could feel how scared he was and how this was all my fault for coming by myself. Luckily, Niro and I killed them both and put out the fires. But by the time it was all over the volcano had already erupted."

"And when you got back, the town was already buried." She said, looking down at the bed.

"Yeah." He frowned.

She looked back up at him. "Why…didn't you tell us about the other village?"

"Because I shouldn't have gone anyways. And I didn't need anyone knowing I couldn't protect my dragon." He got up then, not letting his gaze meet hers. "There, now you know." He said, walking back towards his dresser and pulling out a black shirt.

She stood on the mattress and walked over to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and cupped his opposite cheek, turning his head and tilted it up so that he was looking at her. "I think you did the right thing Gaara, regardless if you think you didn't. And I'm glad you told me. Really."

"Well…" he paused, searching her darkened emeralds. "I'm really tired. I had a very long trip and I have to leave tomorrow."

She nodded, since she would be leaving as well, and moved back over to her side, crawling beneath the covers. But this time, she was facing him, instead of the doorway. "Goodnight Gaara."

He pulled on his shirt and got into bed, lying on his back. It was kinda weird, since he felt like she was staring at him. Finally, he glanced over, giving her a questioning look. "Why are you looking at me?"

She laughed. "Why, is it bothering you?"

"Well you've never done it before, so it's weird."

"I can stop if you wish."

He rolled his eyes. "I was just wondering why." He stated, trying not to start a fight out of it.

She smiled slightly, snuggling deeper into the sheets. "Because I want to look at you." She said simply, since it was the truth.

"You always were very odd." He sighed, but she could see the small smile on his face as he looked back up at the ceiling.

She punched him lightly in the arm. "Am not!" she said, although her expression showed that she wasn't offended. She rolled onto her back and then looked to the left, back at him. "Besides, looking at you is more interesting than the ceiling." She teased.

"I dunno, the ceiling is pretty interesting." He smirked and looked over at her, rolling a bit so he was on top of her. He placed his hands on either side of her head and his smirk grew. "But this view is pretty interesting as well."

She smiled. "It better be." She said, then her hand came up and she stroked his cheek with the back of her fingertips. "But I must say, this view of you is a lot better than your profile."

"Hm. Intriguing." He lowered his head and kissed the crook of her neck, biting down softly. He moved away soon after and lay back down. "Well I'm off to bed. Goodnight dearest." He yawned and shut his eyes, bringing the covers up.

She was frozen in her spot for a minute, shocked at what he had done. Shaking her head to bring herself out of her daze, she rolled back onto her side and faced him, bringing up her covers as well. "Meanie." She huffed, closing her eyes.

Gaara just smiled and let himself drift off to sleep. Sakura did the same, letting herself dream of the better days of the past.

* * *

Gaara yawned and moved a bit, feeling something against his front. He opened his eyes and froze, seeing the sleeping face of Sakura. He looked down. Their foreheads were touching, and she was snuggled into the warmth of his body. His hand was resting on her side, keeping her in place. Slowly, he picked up one finger at a time and then pulled his hand away quickly, freezing in the process to make sure he hadn't woken her.

With much skill, he managed to pull from her without disturbing her. He sat on the edge of the bed and sighed, rubbing his hands up and down his face to try and wake himself. That was odd, he'd never woken up like that with her before.

Sakura let out an annoyed groan and her brow furrowed. She moved to the spot he had previously occupied, snuggling into the sheets in an attempt to stay warm. When that didn't work, she scooted across the bed until she was next to him once more and curled around him, her hand reaching out to grab his leg. Her eyes shot open then, and she sat upright, coming face to face with Gaara. She looked from her hand on his thigh to back up at him, emerald eyes wide. "Uh…"

"Well…" he blinked, looking from her hand to her face. "This is a little awkward. I hesitate when I ask what you were dreaming about."

Her face became a dark red. "N-nothing." She stuttered.

"And yet," he lowered his hand and took her wrist, slowly lifting it. "You have yet to move your hand. If you're trying to make a move, you should be quicker about it."

She huffed. "Look, if I was consciously trying to make a move on you, you'd know it. I was just dreaming is all."

"So you were dreaming about making a move on me." He pointed out with a sly smirk.

A smirk of her own graced Sakura's features, and she leaned towards him so that her chest barely brushed against his. Her other hand came up and began to rub his thigh. "No, I was dreaming about seducing you, which is quite different in its level of physical contact and naughtiness." She turned then and began to scoot towards the end of the bed. "But no matter, the dream's done and over with now."

He let out a disappointed sigh and looked after her. "Don't you find it odd that a wife _can't_ seduce her husband?" he snickered, getting up as well and headed over towards his dresser, pulling out all his things so he could pack.

She glared over at him. "What do you mean can't? I could _so_ seduce you." She said, standing and raising her arms in a stretch.

"Could you now…I don't recall ever being seduced by you." He said, grabbing his bag and throwing a few things in. He pulled off his shirt and turned his back to her, discarding his pants at well, left bare in front of her.

She looked over at him as she was lowering her arms, and the clever retort she had prepared became lodged in her throat as she saw him in all his glory. She looked down and walked over to her pack, picking out some clothes to change into. "That's because I've never tried." She said, walking over to the changing room to get dressed. She was wearing a pair of tight black pants and black leather boots that came up just below her knees. She had a red tunic on that was the same color as Gaara's hair and tucked it into her pants. Then she put on a black corset that covered only her stomach and began to tighten it. "I'm not really sure if you would be able to handle my level of seduction." She said, walking back out into the room as she was tying up the corset.

"I beg to differ." He looked back at her, seeing she was changed. He was also dressed, wearing some black pants that tucked into his leather riding boots, along with a loose black long sleeved shirt. He picked up his bag and threw it over his shoulder. "But alas, our time is up. I've things to do in the west as you've things to do in the east."

"Yes, I do." She said, shoving her gown and robe into her bag. "Perhaps I'll come seduce you for your birthday." She said with a smirk, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Hm." He waved her off, but she didn't miss the small smile that adorned his face. "We'll see. After all, we are very busy people." He said, heading for the door and waiting for her. She came up next to him and nudged him with her hip.

"I'm never too busy for you, baby." She said with a playful smile.

He arched what could be a brow and before she could get out of the doorway, he pushed her against the frame, pinning her with his body. "Never huh?" he asked, leaning down and pressing his forehead against hers.

"Never." She said, looking up into his jade depths.

"Mm. Well in that case," he leaned further, cupping her cheek with one of his hands. They could both feel it, finally, they were going to kiss. The door opened abruptly and they looked over to see Naruto and Hinata, both faces blood red.

"O-oh. I'm so so-sorry. We were just coming t-to tell you b-breakfast was ready." Hinata stuttered.

"Why does this always happen?" Sakura asked in despair, resting her forehead on Gaara's shoulder.

The redhead sighed and pulled away from her, taking her hand and leading her past the two. They stopped at pair of double doors and walked into the dining hall. Sasori looked up and smiled. "Oh my Lady good morning. And I see you're back brother. I trust your journey went well."

"It was fine."

"Good morning everyone." Sakura greeted, setting her bag down next to an empty chair. She turned and looked at Gaara. "Gaara, will you stay and eat breakfast with us?" she asked, since he had yet to eat a meal with her the entire stay, and there was an open chair next to hers.

He gave her a considering glance and sighed. "I suppose. What will an hour or so do to travel time, right?"

She smiled happily and walked over to him, grabbing his hand and dragging him over to his chair. "Come on then, let's eat." She said. Itachi raised a brow at the two. Their behavior towards one another was different. Not in a bad way, it was just different.

Neji was also staring at them, perplexed at the fact that they were even touching. "So Gaara, where exactly did you go?"

"Sasori sent me to check on the renegade dragons, they've been acting up lately." He said simply, moving back a bit as the servants placed a plate in front of him and then Sakura.

"Is it something we should be concerned about at this point?" Sakura asked, pouring syrup over her pancakes.

He shrugged, "They were acting weird, but seemed more than willing to be put in place after a few of them were torn down. Probably just getting rowdy again. You know they get restless sometimes."

"True." She said, taking a bite.

Breakfast from that point on was actually a pleasant affair, which surprised everyone at the table other than Sakura. She was having the time of her life, getting to eat beside Gaara. But after a while, Sakura let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair. "I hate to cut this short, but I do have things that need tending to in the east. I've never actually been away this long before, and I need to make sure the trafficking problem hasn't returned in my absence." She said.

Both Neji and Gaara nodded, saying something similar. "Well then," Sasori smiled and stood. "Itachi and I shall see you off." They all left the dining room then and headed out into the courtyard where the dragons were pacing, ready to fly. They had on saddles and were packed with other necessities. Kiba walked up and took Gaara's things as Hinata did for Neji, and started to pack them onto the dragons. Niro moved away from the brunette once he was finished and nuzzled his love.

'_I shall miss you greatly.'_ Taira said, cooing as she nuzzled him in return.

'_Until next time we meet_.' He let out a low snicker and turned to look at their masters.

Gaara rolled his eyes and started down the steps towards his dragon. Sakura blushed and made her way towards Taira. When she reached her dragon she strapped on her pack of clothes and then circled her, making sure that Naruto, who was already seated on the back of the dragon, did everything correctly. Nodding in satisfaction, she pat the pink dragon on the nose. 'Ready to go?' she asked, scratching her dragon's jaw.

'_No, but I suppose I have to anyways.'_ Taira said, then she nudged her mistress towards Gaara, indicating that they should say farewell to each other.

Gaara touched the side of his dragon and made a move to mount him. Niro moved to the side, making his master fall forward and steady himself. "Niro, what are you doing?" the redhead glared and tried once more, only to have the same result. "Niro!"

The red dragon swung his tail, making Gaara duck. "Niro, what are you doing?" he demanded, only getting pushed backwards.

"You're just going to leave without saying goodbye?" Sakura asked teasingly. She stuck out her hip, crossing her arms in the process and raising a brow.

He looked over at her, and met her taunting gaze. "You never say goodbye to me." He pointed out.

"Well why else do you think I walked over here? It certainly wasn't to watch you fly away." She smiled slightly.

"I honestly don't know." He paused for a moment and looked off. "Bye?"

She huffed. "Gaara, please. Get your attractive butt over here and say goodbye properly." She said, pointing to the ground to emphasize her point.

"Why don't _you_ come over here?" he pointed to the ground as well, smirking.

"I don't see why you can't come over here. After all, I already came halfway." She said, crossing her arms once more. Taira barked and hit Sakura in the back with her tail, causing her to stumble forward slightly. She glared back at the dragon. "What?" In return all the pink dragon did was motion towards Gaara with her head.

Gaara eyed the dragon suspiciously and then looked down at Sakura, who was now in front of him. "Alright, um, bye?" he said a bit awkwardly.

She rolled her eyes and hugged him, laying her head on his chest. "Bye Gaara. I will miss you." She said. He blinked and glanced around, slowly placing his arms around her. This was really weird, he couldn't remember the last time he had hugged Sakura like this.

"Yeah, goodbye. I guess I'll see you next year." He gave her a tighter embrace and then pulled away.

"So you don't want me to come seduce you on your birthday? Because that's closer." She asked, smiling slightly as she looked up at him.

He actually blushed and covered her mouth with hand. "Do not say such things in the company of other men." He told her, but she could tell just how flustered he was.

She reached up and grabbed his wrist, lowering it from her mouth so that her wide smile was visible. "So that's a no?" she asked raising a brow. "It'd be a shame, I have the perfect little outfit-" he covered her mouth once more.

"Woman. Shush." He attempted a glare. The merriment was evident in her emerald depths, and she opened her mouth against his hand and licked his palm. He shivered and gave her a solid glare. "Ok." He whispered. "Yes alright. Now stop doing weird things."

She lowered his hand and laughed. "Goodbye Gaara." She said, standing on her tippy toes and kissing him on the cheek. Then she turned and walked back towards Taira, who had what appeared to be a satisfied look on her face.

Gaara stared after her and got on Niro, offering a hand down to a smug looking Kiba. Niro glanced back and mirrored the brunette's expression. He looked between the two and huffed. "Shut up. I don't wanna hear it." He informed them, giving Sakura a small wave before they took off and vanished into the sun.

She watched him fly away and then turned on Taira to wave goodbye to Neji, who was sitting on Metsuki with his mouth slightly ajar. Then she nodded to Itachi and Sasori before taking to the sky. "Bye guys, I'll see you next year!" she called, flying off towards her castle in the east.

"It's about time." Itachi said, looking over at his friend.

"Seriously." The elder redhead smirked and glanced back at Itachi. "Well…shall we?"

He nodded and they both turned around, heading into the palace. "Oh Ino!" they called.


	8. Stranded

**Monogamy**

_Chapter Eight_

-Stranded-

Gaara pulled on his armor, fastening it tightly as the rest of the palace's inhabitants ran around, trying to remain calm. He took his sword and tied it to his side, doing the same with his spare. Kiba ran in, dressed in shiny metal armor, a sword at his side. "Gaara are you ready? The front lines really need your help. And they're trying to use the mountains."

The redhead sighed and nodded, following his friend out. "I'll take you to the valley and drop you off while I take care of the mountains. Make sure they don't get within our borders." He explained, getting a nod. Gaara whistled and Niro landed with an earth shaking thud on the balcony.

'_Ready master?_'

They both got on and Niro took to the sky, soaring towards the border. They could see the battle from the skies, and once they were close enough Niro dove down. Gaara took Kiba by the arm and the brunette slid down, dropping once they were close enough to the ground. The dragon took off then, heading up to the mountain roads that were filled with Nardian soldiers. Niro landed on one of the narrow ledges and took a deep breath before unleashing a barrage of fire balls at the men.

Gaara jumped off Niro's back and let him have free reign of the skies, attacking however he wanted. He drew his sword and slashed down a few soldiers who came at him. This was a massive attack. They had been planning while Gaara was away, since it was abnormal for him to be gone so long. It had been a few days since he returned home, and the attack had been going on for two days now.

It seemed endless, but finally Gaara could see they were thinning. Before he could let out a relived sigh he heard something that made his blood freeze. He stabbed through a man and pushed him off, running towards the edge and looking down into the gorge. There, caged, was a dragon, a very vicious looking dragon. The men around it swung their swords and broke the locks, the doors flew open, and the brown dragon broke free, looking around and blowing fire in the air. One of the men threw something up at it and it seemed to stop, sniffing whatever it was and then tensed, stretching its wings.

It flew up, going sky high and then diving down towards the mountain. It was headed straight for him. "Oh God!" Gaara yelled, going wide eyed as he barely dodged out of the way. The dragon smashed against the cliff side, gripping tightly onto the rocks, climbing over towards him.

'NIRO!' Gaara called with his mind, parrying one of the dragon's claws with his sword. It only seemed to make the rogue angrier. Its hateful red gaze focused on Gaara and he slashed at him once more. The redhead tried to block it once more but the sword was hit from his hand and fell into a crevice. Before he could draw his other he felt the hot talons ripping through the flesh of his left arm.

He yelled out in agony and stumbled back, falling down into the small space between the rocks. Luckily, there was grass growing in the small area and it cushioned his fall, but the dragon came after him, trying to snap at him with its teeth. But its massive head could not fit into the space. He pulled back and took in a deep breath. Gaara went wide eyed, he was going to be barbequed. "NIRO!" he yelled again, this time aloud. A mass of red tackled the dragon away and a loud screeching could be heard. Niro ripped off one of the wings with his teeth, snapping at the other dragon's neck. When he got a good grip he jerked it forward and then twisted it, snapping it clean off the spine.

There was a loud thud and then Niro looked down into the slight hole. '_Master, I killed him. It's safe now. Come out._'

Gaara shook his head, holding his bleeding arm tightly to try and stop it. "I can't Niro I'm injured and there's much more soldiers. I need you to go and get the others. Narda is getting restless. I'll stay here where it's safe, no one will be able to find me and you can't reach me anyways. Besides our forces need to keep Narda out. Now go!"

'_But Master._'

"I said go! Do as I say Niro!" he ordered, wincing from the abrupt movement. Niro frowned but back away, making sure there were no more soldiers on the mountain before he took off and headed back towards the palace. He used the air currents to travel faster, something he couldn't really do with Gaara, since he needed to be careful he wouldn't fall. He closed his wings tighter and sped through the air, flying as fast as he could. If he didn't stop it would only take a day to reach the northern central palace.

* * *

Sasori and Itachi were playing chess on one of the balconies as one of the servant girls held umbrellas over their heads so the sun wouldn't be a bother. "So what do you want to do today Itachi?"

"I do not know. Now that the others are gone we will have to find a new source of entertainment." The ebony haired man said, moving one of his knights. "We could always take a few of the horses out and go hunting. We haven't done that in a while."

"No, I got a letter from those weird tree huggers the other day. Saying something like I don't care about the wildlife, or something stupid like that, which I don't, but my advisors told me I should be more considerate to everyone in the kingdom." He sighed, rolling his eyes as he rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"It's not like we won't put whatever we catch to good use. Kuro can always eat it." Itachi replied, sitting back in his chair.

"I know, but it's those crazies who _choose_ to eat only vegetables. And think dragons will cause something called global warming, whatever the heck that is." He sighed, moving his queen a couple of spaces. "Check. If you ask me, it sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo."

Itachi examined the board and rubbed his chin. "Yeah. Oh well, I guess the important thing is that you make the people happy, as tiresome as it is sometimes." He said, repositioning his king.

Sasori shrugged and then looked up, seeing a figure blot out the sun. Niro practically fell out of the sky, roaring angrily for Kuro. The redhead got up and looked down from the balcony, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Where's Gaara?"

Kuro flew over to the balcony and landed next to the red dragon. _'Where is your master?'_ he asked, his tail twitching nervously. He could tell something was wrong, just by the way the other dragon smelled. He smelled of blood.

'_Gaara is hurt! He needs help and I cannot reach him! Narda is overwhelming the border and threatening to spill into our land. He told me to get you. You must get Master Neji. I will fly and get Lady Sakura! Hurry!_' He roared, taking off once more and heading east. Sasori watched the dragon leave and then focused on Kuro.

"What is happening?"

"There has been an attack in the west by Narda. Gaara is hurt. I must go and retrieve Neji." Itachi said, motioning for Sasuke to ready Kuro to ride while he put his armor on.

He nodded and headed into the palace with the darker haired man. "I will send troops from the main army as well. Send word as soon as you can Itachi." He slowed his pace and gave the man a concerned look. "Make sure you are careful…and protect Gaara…he's very reckless sometimes."

Strapping on his black armor, the elder Uchiha nodded and headed back outside. "Of course I will. I protected him most of my life and his, I will continue to do so now. I will write as soon as we are out of the fray and things are under control." He said, mounting Kuro. "Don't worry, he'll be fine, as always." He assured his friend before flying off.

Sasori waved after him and frowned. "Yes, but…as always…it will eventually stop, as all good things do." He sighed and went back into the palace, ordering his troops to be readied and to head towards the west to assist his brother.

* * *

"But Lady Sakura, I swear she did it on purpose!" Naruto yelled. Sakura held in a sigh as the pink dragon made a noise resembling a chuckle. They were currently in the stables at her palace. She had ordered Naruto to give Taira a bath, and apparently her dragon had continuously knocked over the buckets of water the blonde brought in, and the last one just happened to soak him completely,

"So? It isn't my fault you were in the way." She said, crossing her arms.

"I don't think she likes me very much." He said solemnly.

Sakura smirked. "Why, what ever gave you that idea Naruto?" she asked in a mocking manner. Seeing the blonde's downcast expression, she did sigh. "Look, if you want Taira to like you, do nice things for her. Treat her like a lady." She suggested. Naruto nodded, beginning to formulate an idea on how to do so. Suddenly Taira stiffened and looked out to the sky.

'_Niro is coming.'_ She said, causing Sakura to look up as well.

They could feel the earth shake, indicating that Niro had landed. There was a massive roar that sounded vicious and angry. Sakura and Naruto walked out of the stables, seeing Niro in the courtyard trying to snap at the servants that came to cater to him. He growled, and when he spotted Sakura he pounded over, looking around for Taira so he could communicate with them.

The pink dragon ran out of the stables, hearing her mate and how upset he sounded. _'What's wrong?'_ she asked, stopping when she was next to him.

'_Gaara is hurt!_' he repeated to her, fire licking up from his mouth. '_Narda has attacked and it was more than we presumed! There was another dragon and it attacked my master. I've already gotten Master Itachi and Master Neji, but I need to hurry back. So follow or not!_' he roared furiously, letting off a massive inferno. He took off into the sky, not bothering to wait for them. He had done as his master had asked, and now he was going to be there to protect him.

"Taira, let's go!" Sakura yelled, climbing upon her dragon.

"But Sakura, you don't have your armor on, and she isn't saddled!" Naruto yelled.

She glared down at him. "I don't care. Gaara is my mate and I will not dally with trivial things while he is in trouble. Put together some things for me and ride with some horses to the western kingdom. I shall meet you there." She said, taking to the sky after Niro. Luckily she had already been wearing her sword, and was in an outfit similar to the one she had worn when departing from Sasori's palace, except that the tunic was black and the corset red. It would suffice as armor for now.

They flew for what seemed like hours, until the castle of the west came into view. She took in the amount of soldiers and grimaced. This had to have taken some time to plan out to be executed this smoothly, especially against Gaara. 'Niro, show me where Gaara is.' Sakura ordered, since she was close enough to him that he would be able to hear her.

He dove silently towards the mountains, which were still clear. He landed on a large ledge, giving them room to land as well. He pointed over with his snout, his feet moving up and down, walking in place. He was anxious and worried, even though he could feel his master was alright. Sakura quickly dismounted Taira and ran towards the crevice that Gaara was in. "Gaara!" she yelled frantically, looking into the crack. "Gaara, you're hurt." She said, seeing all of the blood.

He glanced up at her and shrugged, which made him wince. He was pale and looked tired. His whole arm was covered in the crimson blood now. "I'm fine. It's nothing really. Are Itachi and Neji on their way? I've been watching from here and it's been getting progressively worse. If you could help me out of here, I could go down and handle some of it myself."

She frowned. "You are in no condition to fight. Itachi and Neji are on their way, and should be here shortly, since the fly from the east is usually longer than that from the south. They can handle things once they get here. I am going to take you to the castle and have a look at your arm." She said.

"No, I'm fine really. I just need some bandages and I'll be good." He assured her and struggled to get up.

She wedged her way into the cavern with him and held her hand out for him to grab. "Gaara, please, I don't want you to aggravate your wounds."

"I'm a man Sakura, that's what we do, we aggravate our wounds." He smirked, holding tightly onto his arm. "Now, I'm not sure why you came down here cause' you're going to have to hoist me up." He pointed out, since he seriously doubted that she could lift him.

She sighed and got out of the small crack. After positioning herself in order for her to have enough leverage, she bent and reached down once more. "How is this?" she asked. He reached up with his good, blood stained hand and took hers, pulling himself up. Niro moved behind Sakura and steadied her. When Gaara was up he nudged him, keeping close so he could lean against him.

"Ah much better." He let out a sigh and climbed onto Niro's back. "Ok Niro, to the front lines."

'_Master are you sure?_'

"Of course I'm sure."

"Gaara." Sakura groaned, placing her hand on her forehead. "Can I at least wrap your wounds first?" she asked, looking up at him.

He gave her a skeptical glance. "If I let you take me back to my palace you won't let me leave."

"No, I mean right here, before you fly off." She explained, lowering her arm. Taira came over so that she was face to face with the redhead.

'_Please let her Lord Gaara. It will ease her mind.'_ She said.

"Using your shirt would be completely unsanitary. That would hardly be enough anyways." He rolled his eyes. "Plus it would be too tedious to remove all my armor."

She let out a sound of frustration and then mounted Taira. "Fine, but I'm going with you so that I can make sure you're okay." She said, settling herself on her dragon.

"You worry too much Sakura. I will be fine." He assured, getting on top of Niro.

'_You might be able to refuse Lady Sakura, Master, but you can't say no to me._' He smirked, taking off from the ground and heading towards the palace.

"Niro! Turn around this instant! I command it."

'_No. Master Itachi and Neji are here already. They can handle it for the time being. You need to rest._' He kept on his path and soon dropped down into the courtyard. Gaara winced, gripping onto his arm from the pain that shot up.

"Ok. Ow. Fine." He glared.

Taira landed next to them, and Sakura got down, walking over to the red dragon and his rider. "Thank you Niro. At least _one_ of you has some common sense." She said, stopping and waiting for Gaara to dismount.

The redhead glared down at her and got off his dragon carefully, as to not irritate his wound further. "Oh be quiet. I've loads of common sense." He sighed and looked up at his dragon, who seemed concerned. "I'll deal with you later for not following my orders." Niro just huffed, blowing smoke from his nostrils.

Sakura rolled her eyes and grabbed Gaara's uninjured arm, leading him inside. "Come on, let's take a look at your arm."

* * *

"Now my Lord," The medic said with a commanding tone as she stared at the redhead that was now being forced to remain in bed. "You are bedridden until either myself or Kallen say otherwise. That means no flying, no fighting, and no reckless behavior. Understand?" she scolded, like a mother telling her child not to play with fire.

"Be gone with you." Gaara growled, dismissing her with his hand and laying back against his many pillows. He sighed, his arm had been tended to and wrapped and he was being forced to wear a sling as to better elevate his arm. He glanced over at Sakura, who had taken a seat at the foot of the bed. "I blame you." He grumbled, closing his eyes and trying to pretend he wasn't being forced to stay indoors.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I saved you, you should be thanking me." She said, crawling over to the space next to him and laying down, staring at the ceiling. She had actually never been in his room before, because she had no reason to ever come and visit him. That was going to change though, she would make sure of it.

"Think what you want, but this is pure torture." He frowned, opening his eyes and looking down at her and then forward. He hated being useless, or helpless, and Itachi would probably scold him later for being too careless. "I probably wouldn't have died anyways. Jeez."

Sakura looked over at him and rolled her eyes once more. "What was it that the medic said? 'Any longer and we would have had to amputate it.' That doesn't sound like alright to me."

He stared down at her in a challenging manner. "Medics always say the worst to scare you into never doing something stupid ever again."

"Yeah well we all know nothing could stop you from doing something stupid." She retorted, looking forward. "I was scared though, when Niro told me you were hurt. I thought…I don't know, I was afraid I was going to lose you and that I wouldn't be able to get to you in time." She said softly.

"So what. It's not like dying is abnormal." He said darkly, looking off in the opposite direction now, as if the dark corner of the room were more interesting.

She looked up at him, tears pooling in the corner of her eyes from her repressed worry. "So are you saying that you wouldn't care if I died?" she asked.

"Just a part of life." He said in the same tone. "People who die are lucky to be free of this war torn world."

She crossed her arms and looked back up at the ceiling. "Well I would care if you died." She mumbled, laying one leg over the other and crossing them at her ankles. He turned his head back, looking down at her.

"Why?"

"Why not?" she asked, looking back up at him. "Sure we don't always get along, but we're married and mated. On top of that, we were friends long before any of that happened. I care about you, and whether you live or die. I always have, and I always will." He sat up straight and sighed.

"Technically you and I are only married. We have yet to mate in any kind of way." He pointed out and then sighed. "Besides," he paused for a moment. "Finding out I was destined for you was the worst day of my life."

She sat up and gave him an angry glare. "I figured, since you ruined my birthday." She said, getting up and walking over to stare out the balcony window. "I had been looking forward to that day ever since I found out I was a dragon rider. I thought that I was finally worth something, that I wasn't completely useless to the world. And then I found out it was you, and I was happy, because that was what I wanted. But you didn't even want me." She said, hugging herself as the tears formed again. "I wasn't good enough." She whispered, looking to the floor.

Gaara watched her form as a frown etched deep into his features. "What on earth makes you think it was because you weren't good enough?"

"You were so angry and upset…I thought it was because of me." She told him.

He rolled his eyes, "That's just like you, to assume the wrong thing. This is why I tell you to never assume things Sakura. You're always wrong. _Always_. Just like a woman. Letting your mind wander off in places it shouldn't."

She turned around and glared at him. "Well, maybe I wouldn't have been wrong if you didn't shut me out and push me away after the volcano incident. Or if you had explained to me why it was you were upset. All I saw was you yelling and storming off, and then only coming back to accept it because Sasori and Itachi told you to. Not once did you even seem to care about my feelings, or what your words were doing to _me_." She said, pointing to her chest. "I had been raised believing that once I found out who my life partner was I was going to be happy and content, because they were going to be my other half and I would never feel alone. What a load of bull that turned out to be." She said, somewhat bitterly. "I never felt so alone in my life than when the person I wanted to give my heart to didn't seem to want it." Tears began to roll down her cheeks as old wounds were opened, and she turned away once more and began to wipe at the water droplets in an attempt to hide her weakness from him.

He sighed. "First of all, you never _asked _me why I was upset. So don't try to shift this all on me. You assumed it was because I didn't want to, and then went off and acted all weird and hateful. Besides, if you didn't want to be around me, it made it…easier." He stopped and looked off, not saying anymore. He had already said more than he ever intended to, and he didn't want her knowing his feelings. It would only complicate things.

Sakura sniffed and looked back at him, her emerald eyes glistening from her tears. "How does that make things easier?" she asked, curious as to what his reasoning was.

His frown deepened. "Because I was afraid I couldn't protect you." He snapped, now glaring at the sheets he was gripping tightly with his uninjured side.

Now she just looked confused. "Protect me? But, I can protect myself." It was true, never before in her life had anyone but Taira tried to protect her really. For the most part she had had to take care of and look after herself, so she didn't fully understand his reasoning. Besides, he had never expressed an interest in wanting to protect her. Heck, he had just basically admitted that he didn't care if she lived or died, it made no difference to him. He just shook his head and stayed still.

"Forget it."

She walked over and sat so that she was in front of him on the bed. "Please tell me." She said, placing her hand on his knee.

"No." he said darkly. "Now get out."

"But, Gaara, I want to know." She pleaded.

"Why?" he finally looked up, glaring at her. "What good would that information possibly do you now? That was nearly eight years ago."

"Because that information affects me. Maybe, instead of letting me think the wrong things, and telling me they're wrong, you should just explain it all to me so that I can understand. Since obviously I don't." she said fiercely.

"Fine." His glare intensified, but the frustration wasn't at her. It was at himself. "I was in love with you. Ok? Happy? But when I almost lost Niro, I didn't want to care about you, because I knew I couldn't be the one you were destined for. Such a failure could not be trusted with the most fragile piece of the puzzle, and when I was named the one to take you I freaked out, because I knew I couldn't protect you. No matter how good you are Sakura, the female is always the weak link. It's the nature of the four and has been that way for hundreds of years." He snapped. "You need to be protected and you always have, even if you never realized it. _You _are the only weakness, because you affect the rest of us. Especially…me…" he admitted finally.

She blinked, and stared at him for a moment, letting the information he had shared with her sink in. "You…loved me?" she asked in a breathy whisper. She understood the rest of it, it was just that one piece of information that had stuck out to her. If only she had known, had had some sign or hint, anything, perhaps things could have been different. But that was all in the past, and it didn't do well to dwell on what could have been.

"Well," he spoke, looking as if he were about to make a smart remark. He paused and then sighed, looking away once more. "Yeah."

She looked down, to where her hand was still resting on his knee. "I loved you too. But, after that whole fiasco at my birthday…I don't know, I guess I stopped, because I didn't want to get hurt again." She admitted.

He shrugged. "I always loved you. It's why I let you get away with the things I let you get away with."

"I think I could love you again. I mean, I want to." She began to trace a random pattern on his knee, but didn't look up in an attempt to hide the blush that was making its way across her visage.

"I don't really care either way. I've become…indifferent? I think. I'm not sure. It's been a long time since I actually thought about this." He confessed, glancing over at her. A small smirk crept up his face. He placed his finger under her chin and tilted her head up so she was forced to look into his eyes. "Though, the blush is nice to see once again."

Her cheeks darkened at his words and she gave him a sheepish smile. "You're the only one who's ever made me blush."

"I know." He said simply.

Her gaze shot down to her hand, which was still tracing patterns on his knee, and then back up at him. "Do I ever make you blush?" she asked, leaning closer to him slightly.

"Well not anymore." He pointed out. "You kinda just make me angry now with your floozy behavior." He said, not sounding angry in his tone, he kind of sounded a bit carefree. As if he were enjoying the small talk, no matter what it was.

"Well that behavior is over. From now on, I am going to direct it all at you. I hope you're ready for it." She said with an easy smile, wagging her eyebrows at him suggestively as she leaned even closer.

"Oh I don't think I will ever be ready for it." He smirked, watching her actions and doing the same. When they were just a lips distance away, she parted hers. He took a deep breath and then blew a sharp take of air into her mouth, making her jolt back in confusion.

"What was that for?" she demanded, seeing that he was obviously trying to keep his laughter in.

"Sorry," he barely got out before almost cracking up. "I couldn't help it, impulse." He let out a real laugh and then held his hand to his mouth, trying to silence himself.

She shook her head and smiled at him, happy to hear his laughter once more. "And you think I'm the odd one." She said, poking him in the abs.

"I do." He smirked. "Especially because you flirt with my brother, pretending it's me."

She gasped. "Niro wasn't supposed to tell you that!" she said, completely mortified now.

"Oh he didn't tell me." Gaara said with a small smirk. He reached over and pulled an apple from the plate beside his bed and took a bite out of it. "I figured it out about five years ago."

She stuttered, and by now her face was red from embarrassment. Five years? He had known for five years, and hadn't said anything? Hadn't even tried to get her to stop? Letting out a groan, she flopped over and hid her face in the sheets. Now she just looked like a complete and utter fool. "No worries." He said patting her stomach. "Why do you think I let it go on for as long as it did? Though it was pretty annoying. I'm not really anything like my brother am I?"

She peeked up at him. "No, I like you a lot better than him. Plus he's old." She said, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"It's the red hair isn't it?" he sighed, tugging at his vibrant locks.

She sat up. "Not really. Yours is darker, and much prettier." A contemplative look came to her face then. "Actually, I'm not sure why I pretended he was you. It seems really stupid now that I think about it." She shrugged. "Oh well, we all have our moments."

He arched what could be a brow and looked at her, "And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean?"

"Just that everyone has a moment in their life when they do something really stupid for no apparent reason." She elaborated, lying back down. "This bed is really comfortable."

He remained silent, laying back against the pillows that were propped up for him. "Well, I'm going to sleep. Wake me when Itachi and Neji get back. There is much to discuss and much to plan." he said closing his eyes and taking a deep, but pained breath.

Sakura got up from the bed and stretched. "Alright. I'm going to go get something to eat." She told him, leaving the room after taking one final look at his face. A small smile graced her features as she thought about everything that had been shared. Gaara may not know it, but they had grown closer over the past few days, and it was almost like things were going back to the way they were. She knew it would be different of course, she wasn't a fool, but it was nice. Perhaps, by the time this was over, they would actually behave like the married couple they were.


	9. Firsts

**Monogamy**

_Chapter Nine_

-Firsts-

Sakura stretched languidly and rolled over so that she was facing the sleeping form of Gaara. She herself didn't actually go to sleep until she was sure that everyone else was taken care of and settled, including the dragons. Itachi and Neji didn't finish until late last night, having finally gotten rid of the Nardian troops and getting everything back under control. They both looked so worn and tired, even though they tried to hide it, that she had forced them to bathe, eat, and go to bed. Because more than likely there would be another attack, and they all needed to be in top form. Last night had just completely exhausted her from her role of mother hen, that she had come back to Gaara's room and crashed once everyone else was in bed. She was so tired she didn't even bother changing from her clothes, and had stripped down till she was in her black tunic and her undergarments.

Sitting up, she stretched once more and looked down at the redhead beside her. She supposed she should wake him up now, since knowing him, he would be angry if she let him sleep any longer. But he looked so peaceful, she almost didn't want to. "Gaara." She said softly, stroking his cheek with the backs of her fingers.

He groaned and moved his head towards her, finally opening his eyes and glancing up at her face. "You look tired."

"You don't." she said with a small smile, brushing some of his bangs out of his face.

"That's because I actually slept last night." He said pointedly, sitting up as well. "You really do look exhausted. Why don't you get some more sleep and just join us for lunch?"

She shook her head. "No, there are things that need to be done today. I can always rest later."

"No." he said in a very commanding tone. "You do not know if there will be a later. You need to rest now while you can. That's an order. We aren't in the central palace anymore. I don't want to have to pull rank to get you to follow orders Sakura, but this is _my_ palace. And I am the law here. So please do as I say and rest. I can handle things with Itachi and Neji until you join us later." He got up from his bed then and went to his closet. It took him longer than usual to get dressed, due to his wrapped arm, but finally he was back out, dressed casually. He placed his arm back in the sling and walked around the bed to the side Sakura was sitting on. "Now are you going to behave and get some sleep Princess?" he smirked.

She crossed her arms and stuck out her lower lip in a pout. "Yes my Lord. But I'm only doing it because you called me princess." She said, laying down and bringing the covers up over her head so that he couldn't see her blush. He just laughed, leaning down and pulling the covers from her hands. He kissed her forehead and actually smiled at her.

"Well you are a princess. Remember? You married a prince." He said, pulling away and heading towards the door. "Now rest." He ordered, closing the door behind him.

She let out a sigh and rolled over, vowing to herself to only sleep for another hour.

* * *

Sakura jolted up in the bed and looked to the window, noting how much time had passed. It seemed she had slept for longer than she had planned, as it was probably half past noon. Stretching, she rose from the bed and looked at her pile of clothes that were on the floor. She didn't really feel like wearing the same clothes she had yesterday, but since Naruto had yet to arrive with her things, she would have to. Then an idea struck her.

The dragons had flown and fought hard yesterday, and so would need baths. Itachi and Neji had brought along their squires, and sure Kiba was here, but since Naruto wasn't, Taira would need bathing. And since she didn't want to dirty her only set of clothes, she would just borrow some of Gaara's. They wouldn't be too terribly big on her after all. Those thoughts in mind, she went over to his closet and took out one of his large black tunics and a pair of black pants and put them on. She slid on her boots, and borrowed one of his belts in order to keep both the shirt and the pants in place.

She made her way outside and to the stables, smiling when she saw her dragon snuggled next to Niro. 'Hello my lovelies.' She greeted.

Taira raised her head at the sight of her mistress, cocking it to the side. _'My Lady, are those Lord Gaara's?'_

'Yes. I decided to come and personally give you a bath, and I didn't want to dirty my only set of clothes.' She informed the pink dragon, dragging out the cleaning supplies and tools. 'I can bathe you as well Niro, should you want one.' She offered.

The red dragon snickered. '_I don't think that's why she is wearing his clothes my mate._' He gave Sakura a knowing look and nuzzled his massive head into Taira's.

'_I should hope so. Is that why you were smiling?'_ the pink dragon purred as her mistress filled a bucket with a special mixture to keep scales from drying out.

Sakura rolled her eyes. 'Oh please. Nothing of the sort has happened.' She grumbled, beginning to scrub her dragon's pink scales. 'It probably won't at this rate either.'

'_I don't understand why you don't just put the moves on Master, he would like it. Especially since I am picking up that he told you he loved you._' Niro lowered his head to the ground, wrapping his tail around his mate.

'Yeah.' She sighed, moving to do Taira's feet. 'I don't know. Every time it seems like we're about to kiss, we get interrupted. Every. Single. Time. It's gotten really annoying.' She made a face of frustration and began to scrub with more vigor.

'_So why don't you two ever just continue with what you were doing? Show others your affection for one another. Niro and I do it all the time.'_ The pink dragon suggested, licking her mate's jaw as she let out a low rumble.

'But I always thought that when we did ever kiss, it would be special. And private.' Sakura argued.

'_It is obvious that that isn't going to happen the way things have been lately. You said so yourself. And who's to say that it won't be special even if others are present? It will have been the first time you and your husband kissed since being married for seven years. That in itself makes it special.'_ Taira said, flicking her tail.

Niro stretched out his wings, waiting patiently for Sakura to move to him. '_Maybe if you show your master publicly how much you want him, he would be more inclined not to care about other people's presence. Since he doesn't know you want his touch._'

Finishing up with Taira, she dragged the bin next to Niro and began on his feet. 'Maybe…I don't know. What if I mess the whole thing up and just look like an idiot?'

'_Can't make things look any worse than they already do to the outside world.'_ Her dragon pointed out, examining the job her owner had done. She loved being pampered, and it was a special treat when her rider did it herself. She absolutely loved the extra attention.

'_What really could happen? You go back to seeing him once a year? It's not like you are obligated to see him more than once every three hundred and sixty five days._'

She knew he was right, but if things between her and Gaara worked out, then Niro and Taira could see each other more often. She hated that the two didn't get to spend the amount of time together that they wanted, and the fact that it was partially her fault made her feel even worse. And she did want things to work, desperately. Almost as desperately as she wanted to know what it would be like to kiss him. Here she was, twenty-three years old and had never been kissed. And she was married no less.

When she thought about it in those terms, she really sounded pathetic. What kind of woman was married for seven years and was still a virgin? It was ridiculous. She needed to do something about this, and she needed to do it quickly, before more things happened that ruined her opportunity. Her determination set, she dropped the sponge she had been using and left the stables, marching over to the palace.

'_Well, at least she finished our baths before making her decision.'_ Taira said, snuggling back against Niro with a contented purr.

Niro nuzzled back, '_Wanna go roll around in the mud?_' he snickered.

She raised her head and nipped him playfully. _'Race you.'_ She said, quickly leaving the stables. He followed after her eagerly, causing tremors in the earth.

* * *

"And as you can see, if we put up some patrols along the range, we will be alright until the next major assault." Gaara signaled to the diagram. Neji nodded, looking around the set up.

"Yes. That should suffice for now."

The doors to the meeting room slammed open, causing all three males to look up. In came Sakura, her determined look similar to one of anger. "Gaara!" she called, heading for the redhead.

Gaara just stared at her oddly. He had no idea what could have possibly happened that she would be angry with him, since he hadn't done a thing wrong. At least he didn't think he had. He pondered, maybe it was because he didn't go and wake her up. But she really needed her sleep. He sighed, knowing Sakura, that was probably it.

She came up to him and grabbed his face in both of her hands, yanking his head down towards her. Stepping up on her tippy toes, she pressed her mouth against his in a quick kiss. Pulling away, she nodded to herself, and then left the room as quickly as she had entered, a dark blush on her face.

Gaara blinked, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Itachi and Neji just stared at the door and then back at Gaara. The redhead scratched his head with his free hand. "Was she wearing my clothes?"

The brunette frowned and hit Gaara over the head. "Really? _That_ was what you retained from what just happened?" Gaara growled at him, rubbing his now sore head and pushed Neji off.

"Back off ok." He huffed and headed for the door. He went out into the hall and looked around, trying to see where she had gone. He sighed and let his mind sit. Where would she have gone? Maybe back to his bedroom. He had a strong sense that was correct. He headed down the hall and finally came up to his doors. He pushed them open and walked in, seeing Sakura beginning to undress so she could change. She was left in only his black shirt, and a dark blush rose on her cheeks when she saw him enter.

Gaara walked up to her, and she looked as if she were about to say something, but before she could get a word out, he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed into him, closing her eyes as she absorbed the feeling of his kiss. When she had kissed him before it was chaste and rushed, because of her embarrassment. But this one was so much different, so much better.

She could feel his smirk on her lips and when they finally needed to part for air, they were both breathless. "Oh yeah." he said, mostly to himself. He pushed her down onto the bed and followed after her, not wasting any time in his advance. He pressed his lips against hers once more when he was on top of her, pulling her shirt up with his bandaged hand.

She reached down and grasped the hem of her shirt, aiding him in its removal. Once it was out of the way, she blushed, having never been naked in front of him before. He marveled at her body. He sat up and admired it for a moment before resting his hand on her stomach. He glanced off, looking a bit embarrassed. "I'm going to need some help removing mine." He said, gesturing to his arm.

Sakura sat up and grabbed the edge of his shirt, lifting it over his head. Tossing it to the floor, she kissed him quickly, bringing her hands up to rest on his chest. Then she began to trail kisses down his neck, biting him when she reached his shoulder. He could feel his breath hitch, resting both his hands on her hips as to encourage her. After a bit more of her nibbling, he forced her back down and covered her lips with his, eagerly smoothing his hand down her stomach and rubbing her sensitive spot through her underwear. She arched into his body, clinging onto his arm that was supporting him.

Suddenly the door opened, revealing the medic, who was wide eyed. Gaara stopped his ministrations and grabbed one of the many pillows and threw it at the woman. "Get out! If any of you value your lives you will not disturb us!" he glared, immediately getting a reaction. The woman slammed the door shut and they heard her scamper off. He let out a relieved sigh and returned to his task, kissing her neck and doing as she had done to him. "Much better. I won't be interrupted this time."

She whimpered, bringing up a hand and threading her fingers through his hair. "I love it when you're forceful." She said, moving against his body.

He smirked, "Is that so? Duly noted." He whispered, returning his hand down to her lower region, and in one sharp pull she was completely bare beneath him.

A blush made its way across her face now that she was devoid of all clothing. She rolled so that she was on top of Gaara and sat up, grinding her pelvis against his and biting her bottom lip to hold in a moan. She wanted to see him too, so she grabbed the hem of his pants and underwear, pulling both down at the same time. She crawled back over him and rested her hand on his abs, beginning to slide it slowly down. Her fingers ghosted along his shaft timidly, until she got up the nerve to grasp it fully and move her hand along it. His breath hitched and he sat up fully from the abrupt feel. It felt like every nerve in his body was alert. "Dost this please you my Lord?" she asked, giving him a small smile.

He tore his gaze from her hand and looked into her eyes. "Yes, you do." He held her by the back of her neck and pulled her forward, kissing her more passionately than before. He let his other hand run through her short pink hair, enjoying the soft feel. He lowered it then, gripping her behind and rolling her over. "But I want to make my princess happy." He said against her lips, removing her hand and pinning it beside her head as he positioned himself.

"Make us both happy." She said, nodding to signal that she was ready. He pushed into her small hole then, and she let out a gasp, tears pricking the corners of her eyes at the pain. It hurt more than she thought it would, and idly she wondered when it would go away. Once he was fully inside her he stopped, relishing the feel. It was absolutely amazing. He looked down at her and frowned.

"Sakura…" he held her head in his hands gently, kissing her forehead. He had forgotten that it really hurt for a woman when it was her first time. "I'm sorry, I should have been more careful."

She shook her head and gave him a reassuring smile, stroking his cheek tenderly. "My body is yours to do with as you please, I promise it will go away soon." She chuckled slightly. "I just didn't think you'd be this…big."

"If you say so…" he said, starting to move a bit hesitantly. But maybe if she did get used to it, it would feel better faster. He moved his hands, gripping the sheets on either side of her head. He wanted to make her feel good as well, and if this was the way to do it, he wouldn't stop until she couldn't think clearly any longer. "Just tell me if I need to stop." He whispered into her ear as he rested his forehead on her shoulder, increasing his pace. He was having no problem losing himself in her tightness and just how great the act was. He made a mental note to kill himself later for not trying this sooner.

She nodded, gritting her teeth so as not to let out a pained noise. She didn't want him to feel bad for her pain, it wasn't really his fault. It was hers for not jumping him sooner. After a while, the pain faded, giving way to a warm feeling spreading throughout her lower region and to her stomach. Wrapping her legs around his waist so that he was going deeper, she began to move her hips against his. "Gaara…f-faster." She panted, moaning as her grip on the sheets tightened.

He gave her a sideways glance, as if contemplating if she were being serious or not, and to see if she were still in pain. When his doubts were gone, he smirked and moved his good arm around her waist and thrust into her faster and harder. He let out a pleasured grunt, hitting something inside her that even he could feel. "Oh God." He breathed out, kissing the nape of her neck in order to try and get his fill of her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer to her body. By now her moans were a common sound, and when he hit that spot inside her again, she couldn't help but screech loudly. "Aaah!" she exclaimed, thrashing her head to the side and digging her nails into the skin of his back. That feeling was growing within her, and she could feel herself becoming hot. She turned her head back and nipped his earlobe, hoping that he was getting as much pleasure out of this as she was.

Her insides tightened around him, making him let out a low moan. It was amazing, the most intense feeling he had ever felt. He found himself pounding into her faster, needing a release. He'd wanted this since he was fifteen and his hormones had started acting up. Damn his pride and his foolishness. No wonder he was so angry and depressed all the time. He'd been repressed for nine years. Nine long, agonizing years.

At his increase of pace, she felt like she was going to explode. The heat had spread completely throughout her body by now, and most of it was gathering in her center, winding up like a spring. He hit that spot in her once more and she threw her head back, screaming in ecstasy as her body convulsed in her release. "Oh Gaara!" He pressed into her, feeling the tight squeeze. Her release broke something inside of him, and he felt himself spill into her and his fluids mix with her own. He leaned forward, resting his forehead on hers as they both panted. He kissed her tenderly, trailing the kisses down her jaw and then to her neck.

"Sakura…I love you."

She felt her heart twist at his words. Words that she had waited what felt like her whole life to hear. "I…love you too." She said, stroking the red marks on his back that were left from her fingernails. "I always have, I just, tried to fight it."

"We both did." He smiled sadly, caressing her cheek.

She covered his hand with hers, holding it to her face. "Now I can really call you my mate." She said, smiling up at him. He nodded, smiling down at her.

"Yes, you can." He kissed her forehead and then smirked. "Well you wanna take a bath and get cleaned up?"

"Any excuse to stay naked with you." She said, nodding eagerly.

He took her hand and dragged her up as he stood straight. "Alright. Let's go." He said excitedly, pulling her towards the bathroom to start round two.


	10. Stupid Squires

**Monogamy**

_Chapter Ten_

-Stupid Squires-

Sakura hummed happily to herself as she made her way to the stables to see Taira. It had been two days since she and Gaara had had sex for the first time, and she still couldn't fathom why it had taken them so long to perform such an act. Ever since that first time, they had treated each other differently, more kindly to be precise. And their nights were filled with such passion as they continued to explore and learn the other's body, that she had slept the best she'd had in years. Niro and Taira of course, didn't hesitate to let it be known that they were right, but she and Gaara just ignored the dragons. Some lessons just have to be learned the hard way.

As she neared the stables, Sakura could hear angry hissing, and what sounded like objects being thrown around. Picking up her pace, she ran to the door and her eyes widened at the sight. Taira was practically crawling up the wall of the barn in an attempt to get away from Naruto, who was holding a bucket filled with some sort of liquid in his hand, and a paint brush. Said blonde had arrived the day before with Sakura's clothes and supplies, but she didn't mind that he was late, because she just wore some of Gaara's. And he didn't mind either, since, according to him, it showed everyone that she was finally wholly and completely his.

'_Get that vile thing away from me before I kill him!'_ Taira hissed, seeing that her mistress was there to save her.

"What's going on?" she yelled, coming up to her squire. He looked at her with a mixture of relief and excitement.

"Well, you said before you left that if I treated Taira like a lady she would like me more. And fancy ladies always have their nails painted, so I figured I'd paint her claws. Isn't this a great color?" he asked, thrusting the bucket before Sakura.

"Uh…" she looked at it, disgust evident on her features. It was the most hideous shade of neon orange, similar to the color that Naruto always wore.

'_It's the most horrid color I've ever seen, and if it touches me, someone is going to die.'_ Her dragon said.

Taking his mistress' lack of words as a yes, the blonde man dipped his brush in the paint and made to move towards Taira's front left foot. She tried to scramble up the wall, her hind legs already elevated away from the squire's reach, and in her panic, she called out to the one person she knew would effectively stop the man from trying to hinder her beauty. _'NIRO!'_ she called, screeching for her mate. Hearing the call in her mind Sakura moved out of the way of the entrance and crossed her arms.

"Naruto, if you value your life, you'll step away from her." She warned. He looked back at the pink haired rider with a smile.

"Naw, she won't hurt me. I think deep down she really does like me, and if she was going to kill me, she'd have done so by now." He said, resuming his advance towards the pink dragon.

Sakura sighed and shook her head. "It's not Taira I'm warning you from." She said, feeling the earth begin to tremble. In a matter of seconds Niro burst into the stables, roaring loudly as he snapped at Naruto. He snarled viciously at the blonde, glaring hatefully at the one who dared threaten his mate. His wings spread in challenge, approaching and cornering the squire slowly. Flames licked up from his closed mouth. He was ready to fry this man.

"Whoa! I'm just trying to make her pretty!" Naruto said, holding his arms up in surrender. Taira growled, baring her teeth.

'_That is only going to make me look stupid.' _She said. In Naruto's surrender, he dropped the paint, making it splatter onto the ground. The whole group froze as Niro slowly craned his neck to see a spot of orange on his left front leg. After that, the frenzy began with a reign of fire and a loud screeching roar.

"Niro, calm down and let me see if I can get it off!" Sakura yelled, grabbing a wet wash rag and slowly making her way towards the angry beast. Taira crawled down from the wall and moved so that she could take a closer look as well, while Naruto prayed to the gods that it would go away. But Niro did not calm down, he turned quickly, smashing his tail through the support beams. He took in a deep breath, unleashing a flurry of white hot flames that caught the hay quickly and started spreading around the entire stables.

As Naruto and Sakura ran outside to get away from the flames, Taira made her way to her mate. _'Dearest, please let me have a look at it.'_ She said, lowering her head and looking up at him. He roared loudly at her, snapping and making her cower back. Gaara ran up, along with Neji and Kiba, stopping beside Sakura and Naruto.

"What's going on? Where's Niro?" the redhead demanded.

"He's in the barn with Taira, setting the place ablaze." Sakura explained. "Because somebody over here was an idiot." She said, hitting Naruto upside the back of his head.

"Ow!" the blonde exclaimed, putting his hand over the wound.

Kiba walked over and hit the blonde over the head as well, only a lot harder. "What the hell! Stick to your own dragon moron! Why'd you have to piss the alpha off?"

Gaara went wide eyed and turned to Naruto, grabbing him by the shirt. "You got _paint_ on my dragon?" he shouted, going a bit red from his pure rage.

"I didn't mean to!" the blonde said, now afraid for his life. "It just kinda splattered. But it's just a little bit, I swear."

"You were going to put that crap on Taira's claws Naruto, so either way you're in trouble." Sakura said, crossing her arms. Flame burst from the roof then, and Sakura held in a groan. Apparently, in her attempt to calm Niro down, Taira had stepped in some of the paint that had splattered on the floor, and now had some on one of her claws. "You are _so_ dead." She said, looking at the blonde.

Niro and Taira burst through the burning wood, seething with rage. Kiba pointed at Naruto with a harsh glare. "Sick 'em boy!" Niro grinned maliciously. Unlike Taira, he liked his caretaker, and was more than willing to chase after the blonde. Naruto visibly paled, and immediately began to run away. The dragons followed in pursuit, Taira spitting fire just close enough to scare the poor man.

"Just make sure I can still use him, I don't feel like finding another squire!" Sakura shouted to the dragons, hoping they heeded her.

Gaara just sighed. "Kiba, when that idiot comes back make sure you make him scrub Niro until it suits him. No need for you to suffer for that moron's indiscretions."

"Why can't I find a squire who isn't a complete idiot?" Sakura asked no one in particular, placing her hand on her forehead.

"What ever happened to your old one? What was his name again? Rockie or something?" Gaara asked, taking Sakura's hand and heading back to the palace with her.

She sighed. "Well, a few years ago he just got extremely creepy. But I didn't want to outright fire him, because he was kinda nice. So-"

"My precious lovely mistress! I have found you!" at the sound of the voice, Sakura paled.

"Oh no." she said. When a green-clad figure off in the distance began to get larger, she moved to try and hide behind Gaara. "Hide me." She said softly.

The redhead looked forward and tried to get a better look at the man. "Hey, isn't that-"

"Rock Lee at your service your highness! It has been far too long my Lord. Seems you have an injury! Forgive my absence, for I would have prevented it!" the man with black hair cut in an odd bowl fashion saluted and then bowed.

"Lee, it's been two years, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked.

He looked over at her and smiled brightly. "Well, you see my precious lovely mistress, the task you sent me on was most grave indeed. When I had been given it, I did not realize it would entail so much, but for you, I accomplished it." He said, sounding proud of himself.

Gaara just stared at the man, "What exactly did you go and do that took you two years?"

"Well, my precious lovely mistress Sakura decided that she wanted chocolate. But not just any chocolate. A chocolate that tasted of every known fruit on this planet all mixed into one. So I set out on my journey, promising never to return until I found it." He declared.

Sakura grimaced. "And that hole in your boat didn't stop you? Even though it was hurricane season? Or the fifteen assassins? Or the rabid pack of dogs?" she asked, seeming to be in despair.

Lee's eyes widened. "How did you know about all that? Wow! My precious lovely mistress is so smart!" he smiled brightly, causing Sakura to groan and place her head on Gaara's shoulder. He pat her head, trying to comfort her.

"Well I'm hungry." He said simply, starting to walk off and causing her to fall over a bit. "And Lee, Sakura already has a squire, so you can just go away." He shooed with his hand, disappearing through the gates to the garden around the palace.

The other man looked devastated. "What?" he asked, looking to his mistress.

She shrugged, feeling slightly guilty. "Well you didn't come back, and Taira needed tending to. She likes him a lot more than you anyways, so we're going to keep him. Sorry Lee." She said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

He sighed. "Oh well." Suddenly he perked up and smiled at her. "Now that I am no longer in your employment, we can begin our torrid affair!"

"Oh no. No." she said with a shake of her head, backing away from him. "I'm married, remember? Not only would Gaara kill you, but I have never expressed any wish to be closer to you than necessary. I love Gaara, and he is the only man I ever want to be with." She told him, causing his smile to fade.

"Oh. Wow, I guess a lot has changed over the past two years I was away."

She smiled. "No, more like the past few weeks." She said, turning and heading towards the castle. She was going to find Gaara and grab a bite to eat with him. Then perhaps she might be able to persuade him to take a leisurely bath. Yes, she though with a smile, a lot of things had changed. And she was happy for them.


	11. Second Wave

**Monogamy**

_Chapter Eleven_

-Second Wave-

Sakura took a deep breath as she stood on the ledge and looked out over Gaara's lands. Since she had never been to the west, she had decided to go out and explore with Taira. But because of the previous attack, Gaara had made her put on her armor. Hers was different from the male riders, not only because she was female, but their style of armor was just too uncomfortable for her. She wore a crimson, skin-tight tunic, its sleeves ending before her elbows, and a loose chainmail that draped just over the tunic and fell past it on her waist. Over the mail she had a thick leather corset that covered her entire torso. Her pants were tight and black, and she had on a pair of high boots made of the same rough leather her corset was.

She had enjoyed exploring the area surrounding the castle. It was so much different than her own. In the east, she was right next to the ocean. It also had many small islands, and so she was constantly around water, no matter where she went. But here there were mountains and valleys.

Emerald eyes looked off into the distance, and narrowed when she saw a suspicious movement. _'Should we go check it out my lady?'_ Taira asked, looking over at her mistress.

'Yes. It could be the enemy.' She mounted her dragon and they took to the sky, flying low enough so as not to alert anyone that they were near. They landed, and Sakura crouched down, placing her hand on her sword just in case. She snuck over to a grouping of rocks, and saw a massive army encampment. It appeared that they were preparing to mount an attack. If she could sneak into their camp, perhaps she could kill the leader, and therefore end all of Gaara's problems.

'_I do not think that is the wisest idea.'_ Taira gave the pink haired woman a sideways glance. _'Lord Gaara will be upset should something happen to you.'_

'Oh hush, I'll be careful. I need you to go and get everyone though. They need to be prepared, and there is a chance that I will require assistance.' She ordered.

'_But, Sakura-'_

'Go Taira! The longer you argue with me the less time we have.' She said, turning around and looking at the dragon. Said beast grumbled lightly and flew off towards the palace.

Once her dragon was gone, Sakura crouched down and made her way towards the camp. Sneaking through the many tents, she went to the biggest one, assuming that that was where their leader would be staying. She heard footsteps, and quickly ducked behind a stack of barrels that were at the back of the tent, successfully avoiding the two guards that walked past. Letting out a sigh of relief, she drew a dagger from her boot and cut a hole in the tent that was large enough for her to see inside.

There was a tall man, with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes, standing in the center of the tent. Two men were with him, their features indistinguishable because of their armor. She strained her ears to try and hear what they were saying. Maybe she could figure out what their numbers were, and their plan.

* * *

"I would say everything is in order. If there are no attacks within the next week, I will be returning to the north. I do have to protect your pigheaded brother, after all." Itachi said.

The three males were standing around a table and looking out at a map of the land, making sure their battle plans were all set. They had already been there for a week, but both Itachi and Neji couldn't stay away for too long, as their absence may cause rebellion in their own lands.

Gaara nodded and looked over the plans they had drawn up. "Yes that sounds fine to me." He rubbed at his arm. It was still slightly sore from his wound, but had healed perfectly. He stiffened then and looked to the window as Niro slammed against the palace wall, latching onto it with his massive claws.

'_My lord! Taira is distressed. Lady Sakura is in danger! You must come immediately!_' he roared loudly, making Gaara go wide eyed.

"What? Where is she?" he demanded aloud, making both Neji and Itachi go rigid.

'_In the mountains, I have already informed Metsuki and Kuro. They found an encampment! Bring the army!_'

Gaara nodded and grabbed his sword from its place on the table. "Itachi, get the army and meet us in the mountains. Sakura is in danger and she needs me. Kuro already has the location. There's an encampment." He relayed, stepping onto the windowsill and jumping on Niro's back as he took off from the wall.

Without a second glance Itachi and Neji moved into action, running out of the room to get the troops.

* * *

Sakura cursed inwardly. Just as she had begun to get good information, she had been caught by a guard who was going to sneak some ale from one of the barrels she was hiding behind. He had sounded the alarm and moved to attack her. She ran, obviously, not wanting to be caught in the camp, but was forced to engage in combat with some of the soldiers. Sensing her mistress' distress, Taira had sent a message to Niro, turned around, and come to the pink haired rider's aid.

They were currently holding their own, and she was sure they would be fine until the others arrived. That was, until she heard an angry roar and didn't recognize it as belonging to any of the other dragons. She turned and saw a vicious looking rogue dragon with ugly green scales. When it saw her, it snarled and moved to attack.

"Shit!" she yelled, attempting to run away from the large beast. Taira jumped over her mistress and immediately engaged the other dragon, protecting her lady. Before Sakura could move to aid her dragon, the two beasts took to the sky, shooting flames at each other.

Deciding that Taira should be able to handle herself, she resumed fighting the other soldiers. They were actually quite skilled, and she was stuck dodging before she attacked one in a deadly dance of blades. As all of her attention was focused on the soldier she was fighting, she failed to notice the man coming up behind her. He hit her on the back of her head with the hilt of his sword, effectively knocking her out. Once she hit the ground, he put his sword away and took out a black cloth bag, covering her head with it. Then he moved to bind her wrists.

Taira, who had managed to defeat the rogue dragon, roared in outrage as she saw her mistress fall. She dove, getting ready to kill the men surrounding the pink haired woman. Hiding in a small outcropping of rocks, a group of men stood with a canon. They aimed and fired at the pink dragon, shooting out a large net. It wrapped around her, catching her by surprise and causing her to let out a roar as her wings were pinned to her body and she crashed to the earth.

Smirking in triumph, the blonde man signaled to his men to take the dragon and its rider away. After all, with the female down and missing, it wouldn't be long before the males came after them, and he wanted to be prepared. Those thoughts in mind, they quickly packed up their camp and left the area.

* * *

Niro sped through the air, trying to get there as fast as possible. Gaara leaned forward, making sure he wasn't being resistant to the wind. It took longer than he thought to get to the place Niro had said Sakura was, but when they landed on the outcropping there was no one there. Gaara jumped off Niro's back and looked around, growing only angrier. It was obvious someone had been here. There were doused fires and holes in the stone from where the tents were pitched.

He walked around the place, seeing some dead bodies and blood splattered on the ground. Finally, Gaara let out a mad yell, Niro mimicking his master with a ferocious roar, sending out a large column of fire. When he looked back down he noticed a very large shadowed lump. He walked over towards it and went wide eyed when he saw the dragon corpse. He started back towards Niro and then stopped, glancing down at a sword that was lying on the ground. He picked it up and felt his blood run cold in his veins. It was Sakura's, and that could only mean one thing, because she never went anywhere without her weapon unless he was with her.

"Damnit Sakura!" the redhead cursed loudly, trying to get a hold on his chaotic emotions. He turned back around and walked to Niro, who lowered his head to his master. 'Send out a message to the others. Tell them to turn back, they're gone.'

Niro nodded and shut his eyes, sending his thoughts to his brethren. When that was done, Gaara mounted his dragon once more and they took to the skies, looking around the area before heading back. There was no one anywhere in the nearby area. With a sigh, they steered back to the palace. Unfortunately, he could feel his control on his emotions slipping, and it was never a good thing. He needed to get back and get into action. But this time, he was not going in alone. He would follow Itachi's orders, knowing the man would get his precious blossom back.

* * *

Sakura winced slightly at the throbbing pain in the back of her head as she opened her eyes. But all she could see was black. She deduced that it was because of the bag over her head, and it took her no time at all to realize she was tied, and being carried over some man's shoulder. But where was Taira?

'Taira!' she called mentally, praying her dragon was near enough for the connection to work. When she heard no response, she grew extremely worried. She was roughly dropped to the ground then, and the bag ripped off, revealing what appeared to be a room in a cave. She blinked, trying to get used to the dim lighting.

"Ah, so our little Princess is awake. Seems you're made of tougher stuff than I thought you were." The blonde leader said, stepping into her line of vision.

She glared at him. "What do you want with me?" she asked.

"Many things." He said with a smirk. "But first and foremost, I would like you to help us calm down your dragon. She has been causing quite a ruckus you see, and we don't want to kill her just yet, so we'll need your assistance."

"I don't see why I should make things easier for you." She said.

He merely ignored her and waved his hand, signaling for Sakura to be hauled off the floor by a burly man and led down a corridor. It sloped downwards, meaning that they were most likely deep inside one of the mountains on Gaara's land. As they got further and further underground, Sakura could feel the floor trembling. 'Taira?' she said, wondering if her dragon could hear her now.

'_Mistress! I was worried about you! Where are you? I will break free of these chains and come find you.'_ Her dragon said bravely.

'No need, I'm right here.' They entered a large chamber, and the sight before her caused Sakura to go wide eyed. Her dragon was in the center of the room, with chains around her feet, keeping her tied to the floor. Her mouth was secured shut, so that she couldn't procure any flames, or bite anyone who got too close. But it seemed they were having a bit of difficulty tying down her tail and neck, which were wagging from side to side, knocking down the men who were trying to contain her. At the sight of her rider, the pink dragon let out a sound that sounded similar to a growl, since her mouth was tied shut, and she doubled her efforts to escape.

"Now, tell her to calm down." The blonde man ordered, turning back to Sakura.

"No." she said defiantly. He let out a sigh and walked over to her. Taking out a knife, he grabbed her hair and tilted her head back, exposing her throat to the deadly blade he held in his other hand. Then he looked at Taira.

"Stop struggling, or your rider dies." He threatened.

'Don't do it Taira! You can still get out of here and find the others.' Sakura said.

'_No, I must.'_ Her dragon responded in resignation, ceasing her struggles_. 'You have to bear Lord Gaara an heir. The continuation of the dragon riders depends on you. Your life is more important than mine, my lady.' _

The leader chuckled. "Well, if I knew this would have gotten you to behave, I would have done it sooner." He let go of Sakura's hair and removed the dagger from her throat. The pink haired woman held back her tears as she watched her dragon become fully chained to the floor. Harnesses were put around her, holding her legs in place next to her body, and her wings pressed down. Once her tail was pinned to the ground, there was absolutely no way the small dragon could move.

'I'm so sorry I got us into this mess Taira. I should have listened to you.' Sakura said, shame filling her. Suddenly Sakura was yanked backwards, being dragged out of the room and away from her dragon.

'_Don't worry about me Lady Sakura, I will be fine. And do not fret, Lord Gaara and Niro will come for us.'_ Were the last words she heard from her dragon before they were too far away to make a connection.

She was taken to a different room than the one she had woken up from, this one looking similar to that of a dungeon. She was shoved against a wall, and her arms were raised so that her bound hands could be placed over a hook that was high on the wall, immobilizing her. Or so they thought. She began to formulate a plan as the leader walked up to her. "I'm so sorry for not introducing myself to you earlier, little Princess. My name is Bankotetsu. But you can call me Bane, for short. Everyone else does." He said, smiling humorlessly at her.

"I prefer asshole." She spat.

He just chuckled. "I like you, you have gumption."

"What do you want?" she asked, tired of his presence.

"What I want, dear lady, is the world. And I'm going to take it too. You see, I have discovered a way in which to control rogue dragons. And with this new knowledge, I will take over the world, one section at a time, staring with the west." He told her.

"Gaara would never allow for such a thing to happen." She said fiercely.

He smirked. "That may be so, but now that I have you, he just might. The age of the dragon riders is coming to an end, and I intend to be the one to end it." He gave her a contemplative look then. "Come to think of it, you are mated to Lord Gaara, are you not?"

She chose not to answer, glaring hatefully at him instead, but he continued anyways. "And, as his mate, and the one to continue the line, your first born child is always a son, is it not?"

Her eyes widened slightly as she thought about where he was going with this, and she didn't like it. "And, it is a well known fact that you and your husband don't get along, therefore, you have not yet given him an heir. So, if I were to impregnate you, we would have a son." He walked until he was close enough to place a hand on her flat stomach. "Yes, just think of it. My son, heir to the new world, and a dragon rider at that. It would be excellent in keeping the peasants in line."

Seething with rage, both at his actions and his words, Sakura raised her leg and kicked Bane in the jaw with all her might, causing him to fall to the ground. As the other two men in the room rushed to aid their leader, she gripped the hook she was attached to and pushed off from the wall, flipping in the air and twisting so that she was freed. Landing somewhat gracefully, she ran at one of the guards and bashed him across the face with her bound fists, then headed straight for the exit. She had to get to Taira and free her, so that they could get out of there.

As she was running down the corridor, she could hear the men chasing after her, and quickened her pace as much as possible. But it was difficult, because she did not know the layout and couldn't properly see where she was going, since she didn't grab a light. Before she could get anywhere near the chamber in which her dragon was being kept, something grabbed her by the ankle, and she toppled to the floor, getting the wind knocked out of her as she hit the dirt. Strong hands picked her up then, throwing her over their back.

"Let go of me you brute!" she shouted, trying to hit him as she flailed her legs. The man grunted, but continued on his way.

She was brought back to the dungeon, where Bane was waiting for her, rubbing his now bruised jaw. "Shackle her." He ordered. Another man with handcuffs came up to her and put them on her wrists, cutting her rope bindings once they were in place. Then he did the same to her feet, ensuring that she wouldn't be able to pull a similar stunt again. She was hung back up on the wall, and the shackles on her feet were attached to a chain with a heavy lead ball on the end, further restricting her movement. Bane walked up to her and met her glare for glare. She smirked at the sight of his bruise, the one she had caused, but it was quickly wiped off her face when he punched her, causing her jaw to snap at the force. When her vision cleared and she found the strength to move her head back up in order to see his face once more, he was smirking triumphantly. "There, now we match." He said, straightening his tunic.

"Yeah, but the one I gave you was so much more deserving." She quipped, earning herself a glare.

"Do not test me woman. You're still going to have my child, but it will be at a later date, once I kill your husband. Shouldn't be too hard, he is a fool after all, if he let you off your leash." The blonde remarked. Sakura's nostrils flared angrily.

"My leash? How dare you!" Sakura said, struggling against her bindings. Gaara was more than generous with what he allowed her to do, and she was grateful for it. It was men who thought women needed to be controlled and belittled that got on her nerves, and Bane was no different.

His smirk was a humorless one. "Regardless, I will leave you here to hang for a while to think about your transactions. When I come back, you better be nicer to me. Otherwise the conceiving of our child will be a lot more painful for you than it will me." He said, turning and walking from the room. His men followed, leaving her alone in the darkness, one torch to light the entire expanse.

Sakura hung her head and held back her tears. It was only now that her entire predicament had caught up to her. It was all her fault she and Taira had been taken captive. She really was the weak link, because she had to be careful to stay alive, so that the line of the dragon rider could continue, and at the same time be sure they didn't kill her dragon. Because of the bond between her and the beast, losing it would be like losing part of herself. She would never be whole again.

A tear made its way down her cheek as her thoughts turned to Gaara. He would be furious with her, if she ever saw him again. She only hoped that he would find her and free her from this prison, before that vile man had his way with her. Because it was Gaara's child she wanted, not some sick, twisted rebel leader who was cruel to dragons.

"Gaara, please come soon." She whispered to the darkness, closing her eyes as she tried to block out her depression. She _would_ get out of there, and she _would_ see him again.

* * *

Gaara arrived back at his palace, dismounting right as Niro touched down. The red dragon was restless, pacing around the courtyard. The redhead glanced back, "Go find Kiba and have him clean and ready you. We will probably leave very soon."

Niro nodded and took to the sky, off to find his care taker. Gaara headed up the steps and to his room, going to prepare himself before he spoke with Itachi. Once he was dressed in his full battle attire, he attached both his swords to his side and walked down the halls to the meeting room. Neji and Itachi were already in there waiting, both dressed in a similar manner. "As I am sure you both know, Sakura has been taken." He informed them, but their surprised gazes did not go unnoticed. It was actually a shock to them that he was here and not out there searching for her. "Itachi, we need to find her." He said seriously, his hands clenching into fists. "So please, tell me what to do."

The leader of the riders let out a small sigh, but to those who didn't know him very well, it would appear as if he had exhaled. "Gaara, Sakura is your mate, and we are in your lands. Therefore, I feel it is best that you take the lead on this mission." He said.

There was a long silence in the room, until finally Gaara spoke, sounding pained. "I…can't."

"I believe that you can." Itachi said, placing a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Do not let the past stop you. Out of the three of us, you are the most qualified to retrieve Sakura. She is counting on _you_, Gaara, to save her. And you will."

He stared up at his old caretaker, taking a deep breath. His hard gaze returned and he nodded. "Then let's go. Just us three. It will take too long to get the army to wherever they are keeping her. It is most likely in the mountains, but there was something odd. I found a dragon corpse. They tend to avoid crowded areas, and there are always more than one. And another didn't attack Niro and me when we were all alone out there."

Itachi rubbed his chin, thinking about the news he had just heard. "Didn't you say that when you were attacked they had a dragon held captive? And that it seemed to obey them and go straight for you?" he asked.

Gaara nodded. "Yes that was how it appeared. But I could be mistaken. You know how rogue dragons hate tame ones, Niro especially."

"Yes, but I believe there is something else going on. It would be more likely for the rogue to attack its captors before going after you. And even then, it would try and kill Niro first." The elder Uchiha said. "But I suppose the mystery will unravel itself in time. First things first, we must leave now in order to get Sakura."

"Yeah," Gaara agreed, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. Neji gave a nod of assurance and followed the redhead out. All three of the massive dragons were outside in the courtyard, ready to take off and find their missing companion. The redhead stared up at his dragon and swallowed, trying not to show that he was nervous. Everyone was counting on him again, and he didn't know if he would be able to lead them in such a way.

'_My master,_' Niro breathed out. '_I have faith in you…to save my mate…and my love._' Gaara nodded, taking a fortifying breath before mounting his dragon.

'I will do my best.' He assured.

Niro let out a flaming grunt. '_Your mate needs you more than you think._' A sense of urgency washed over the male and they took off into the sky, followed by the others. Niro led the male dragons towards the mountains, calling out for his mate telepathically. Gaara searched around as well, knowing these mountains better than anyone. He made sure to keep his eyes open, and when they passed by one of the smaller mountains, his gaze lowered almost instantly and he turned around, diving towards the entrance to a cave that was previously hidden.

"Here." He told them.

'_Are you sure master?_' Niro asked.

Gaara nodded. "I don't know why I know, but I just know that this is it." The three men dismounted and examined the surrounding area. "Niro, Kuro, Metsuki, scout around the area and make sure there are no more ambushes waiting, but stay close in case we need you to rip this mountain apart."

The three dragons nodded and leapt up, soaring around the area to see if they could find anything worth eating. Neji frowned as they entered the mouth of the cave. "I don't like this." he vocalized. "We don't know their numbers. Or the navigation of this cave."

"Well what do you propose we do Neji? Because I will not waste another second standing idly by while Sakura is in danger." Gaara countered in an angry whisper. The brunette frowned, but remained silent.

They came to a division in the tunnels and they looked from one to the other. "What now?" Neji asked. The redhead searched both tunnels as much as he could and then pointed to the left. "You two take that one. I will take this one and we will meet back here in ten minutes. Alright?"

"Very well." Itachi nodded. "Keep a sharp eye out Gaara. Your life is more important than ours." The Uchiha reminded him, drawing his sword.

"No." he corrected. "My life is no more important than anyone else's." He smiled slightly. "Be careful and come back alive." The prince ordered before disappearing into the dark tunnel. Itachi and Neji headed down their own tunnel, hoping that they found Sakura soon so that they could destroy the ones who had taken her.

* * *

Sakura's eyes snapped open when she heard someone coming down the corridor. Ever since her attempted escape earlier, she'd been left alone, thankfully. She didn't know how long ago that was, but she didn't care. The longer she was alone, the more time she had to formulate a new plan of escape.

She could see light from a torch coming towards her, before Bane suddenly entered the room, and he didn't look happy. "Your husband is pissing me off." he said, harshly planting the torch in a pot on the table so he would no longer have to hold it.

"Gaara's here, isn't he?" she smirked, feeling happiness well up inside her at the knowledge of her love's arrival. "I told you he would come for me. And when he finds you, he's going to kill you."

"Shut up!" he snarled, marching over to her. "Since he has discovered our hideout sooner than anticipated, I'm afraid the consummation of our relationship will have to be moved up to now." He grabbed her by the hips and lifted her up to get her arms off the hook.

Her eyes widened. "What? No!" she shouted as he tossed her to the ground. She let out a grunt and brought her arms to her chest. The blood was beginning to come back to them, and it hurt so badly that she could almost not move them at all. But she didn't have time to worry about that now. She rolled over, becoming alarmed when Bane was suddenly over her. "Get off me!" she ordered, attempting to hit him with her bound fists.

The blonde man caught them easily, smirking darkly at her. "Scream all you want, nobody will hear you." he said, pinning her arms above her head before forcing his lips onto hers.

Sakura clenched her eyes shut, making a noise of protest. She let out a breath when he pulled away from her and glared up at him. Bane chuckled. "So beautiful, even when your gaze is filled with hate." He trailed his hand down her front slowly, before grabbing on to her pants. "Sorry Princess, no time to make you like it." he stated, yanking the cloth down.

She took this opportunity to knee him in the face before her bottoms could be removed, hitting the spot she had kicked earlier. While he was distracted with the pain, she rolled over and tried to pull herself away from him, but the lead ball attached to her feet was making the task nearly impossible. A pained cry escaped her when her hair was gripped harshly, and her head was forced back. She met his angry brown glare with one of her own. "That was a bad idea." He seethed, lowering his head and biting her neck painfully as his hand lowered to the spot between her legs.

Sakura yelled out, beginning to struggle to get him to stop. "GAARA!" she shrieked as loudly as she could, also calling to her love mentally. He had to come and save her, he just had to. Before this vile man did anything else to make her undesirable. Bane stopped, freezing in terror when he heard a blood chilling roar that was unmistakably Niro, and then the mountain began to rumble and shake.

Bane hissed out and forced Sakura down, rubbing her between the legs before kissing down her neck. But almost as soon as his actions had progressed he froze and released her. "You have less than a second to get off of my wife."

The blonde man looked over his shoulder, glancing from the angry redhead standing over him to the sword pressed against his back, right over his heart. "But we're having so much fun." He smirked darkly, slowly moving his hand across the pink haired woman's waist in an effort to grab the dagger at his own belt.

"Gaara, he's reaching for something." Sakura warned, trying her best to look at her love. Bane quickly drew his short blade and held it above the woman's head.

"Step back or I kill her." he threatened.

Gaara ran his sword straight through Bane and stopped when he thought it was fully through him, though as soon as it was in he grabbed the man by the shirt and jerked him back quick enough so he only nicked Sakura's neck. The man fell backward, which shoved the sword through him to the hilt and he yelled out in agony.

Sakura let out a relieved breath, sitting up. "Gaara…" her eyes began to water as the stress of the situation caught up to her. "I'm sorry for being so reckless."

"You should be." he scoffed, kicking over the new corpse and pulling his sword from the man. He cleaned off the blade and sheathed it, before helping her up and examining her form. His gaze trained on the bruise that was on her chin and he grimaced. "Are you alright?" he asked, placing his hands on her shoulders, bringing her closer in a soft embrace.

He would not let on how scared he had felt and the relief that was coursing through him. "My pride hurts more than my body does." She said, snuggling into his hold as best she could. Then she looked up at him. "Um…could you pull my pants back up?" she blushed. "My butt is kind of cold."

Gaara chuckled, lowering his hands and rubbing them on her behind, grabbing the soft mounds before pulling her pants up. He released her and dug around in Bane's clothing until he found a key and unlocked all her restraints. The mountain rumbled again and they both heard an even more enraged sound. "Uh oh." The prince frowned. "Niro just found Taira."

Her eyes widened. "Oh my God! Taira!" she exclaimed, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the tunnel that would lead to her dragon. "They chained and bound her to the ground in a dungeon." She explained, frowning. "And they muzzled her."

Gaara sighed. "Well this does not bode well, we should probably just get out and wait for them instead of being crushed to death by the earthshaking." He slowed and gripped her hand tightly, making her stop. "They're ripping the mountain apart, and Niro is already freeing her and dealing with her captors."

Sakura looked back at him. "Alright." she said, turning and following him out of the cave. She winced when the light touched her eyes, though she was thankful that the sun was beginning to set so that it wasn't too bad. "Gaara," she tugged on his hand so that he'd look back at her. Instead of continuing, she quickly moved forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his before kissing him passionately. "I love you." she whispered, nuzzling him.

He blinked, looking somewhat surprised, but wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. His grip tightened and he moved his head, burying his face in her neck. "I thought…" he whispered, not letting go. "I thought something terrible had happened to you…I was…scared."

"So was I." she said, laying her head against his. "But I knew you would come for me. I just knew it."

"Of course. I came as soon as I heard." He actually smiled.

The pink haired rider giggled. "I kicked that asshole in the face and sent him flying." She told him.

Gaara chuckled, "Impressive."

The ground shook once more and a chorus of roars rang throughout the air. Both riders looked up, seeing a huge black cloud and orange flames crawling towards the sky, a blur of pink and red shot into the cloud, followed by a white and black one. They sang out, howling into the sky in victory before swooping down towards the entrance of the cave. "Ready?" the redhead asked his wife, getting a sly smirk in return.

"Of course."

The two ran towards the edge of the cliff and jumped off just as their dragons flew under them and caught each on their back before joining the others in the sky.

'_Lady Sakura!_' the dragons exclaimed with joy, especially Niro.

'_Mistress I am so happy you are safe. I knew my master would find you._'

'So did I.' Sakura smiled, rubbing her dragon's neck as they began to fly back towards the palace. 'Taira, are you alright?'

The pink dragon grumbled slightly. '_I am now that you are safe and my mate is here._' She said.

Itachi looked at Gaara. 'Did you kill the leader?' he asked.

'There was no chance of his survival. I stabbed him right through his heart.' He assured.

'Excellent. Good work.' The Uchiha said.

'He said that he discovered how to control rogue dragons.' Sakura told everyone. 'It could make things difficult in the future if anyone else learns how to do this as well.'

Niro growled out. '_There is no need to worry of how. I feel things are awry with the dragons._'

'_They have been acting rather strangely as of late._' Taira commented. '_The rogue I fought before I was captured was saying some odd things, but its thoughts were so scattered…it was hard to pick up on them._'

Metsuki snapped his jaws. '_Something is calling for us. Perhaps it's Kogané?_'

Neji blinked, a confused look crossing his façade. 'Who's Kogané?'

'_The King's dragon._' Kuro huffed out some smoke.

"What?" Gaara nearly exploded.

Sakura blinked. "Sasori has a dragon? Since when?"

'_Since the beginning._' The pink dragon said softly.

"The beginning of _what_?" Neji glared forward.

Niro chuckled, at least it sounded like a chuckle. '_Kogané is the oldest dragon I know. Other than the great storm dragon, Arashi._'

Taira craned her neck to her mate. '_Do not forget about Umi, the wise sea dragon._'

'_Yes…_' Niro grumbled. '_But I don't like her very much, so I try to forget about her._'

"What does this Kogané dragon do?" Itachi asked, perplexed as to why Sasori had never told him of this creature.

'_He is the protector of the royal line._' Kuro rumbled out.

'Then how come _I've_ never heard of this dragon?' Gaara scoffed.

'_Because you have me._' Niro grinned, showing off all his sharp fangs.

Taira sighed. '_Should we make our way to the central palace? Kogané will want to see us as soon as possible._'

All the other dragons waited for their masters to respond. Gaara finally sighed, "Take us to my palace and let us pack. We will be off before the moon rises."

The dragons nodded and headed off towards the western home, so they could return to the center of their kingdom once the preparations were made.


	12. Revolutionize

**Monogamy **

_Chapter Twelve_

-Revolutionize-

Sasori stood at the window of his massive throne room, a frown etched into his features. He'd yet to receive word from his brother or his best friend, and he was beginning to get worried. Four shadows glided over the palace and caused the king to look up into the sky. He smiled slightly, relief washing over him. He could tell by the demeanor of the flight that everything was alright.

He didn't move from his spot and simply waited until the doors to his chambers were opened and in marched all four of the dragon riders. "Welcome my brother. Friends." Sasori announced, turning to greet them.

"You have a dragon?" Gaara yelled, glaring angrily at his brother.

Surprise lit his mug for only a moment before it disappeared. "Dragon?" the elder redhead chuckled. "My dear, insane brother, what _are_ you talking about?"

"Don't play stupid Sasori." Sakura said. "We know about Kogané." She placed her hands on her hips.

"And who might that be sweet, little blossom?" he asked curiously.

Neji looked angry as well. "Do you have a dragon or not?"

The king simply smiled and went to his throne, sitting down. "As you are all aware, I am _not_ a dragon rider."

"Sasori," Itachi said, the only rider who was not displaying a particular emotion. "Is there, or is there not, a dragon living here by the name of Kogané?"

Sasori met his friend's gaze but remained silent. That was until a loud rumbling began to rock the palace. The king was the only one who didn't look surprised or reach for his sword, because as soon as the rumbling died, a large golden scaled dragon pulled itself through the massive balcony window and growled out lowly.

Gaara was wide eyed. "What the hell is _that_?" he pointed towards the beast. On the opposite balcony the other four dragons curled their heads in to see what was going on.

"_Oh_." The king laughed. "You mean _that_ dragon."

"Will somebody please explain what is going on?" Sakura demanded, crossing her arms.

The golden dragon lifted its head and assessed the people in his sight. '_We should adjourn to the courtyard. We will have visitors soon…_' the dragon breathed across their minds, his voice low and full of power.

Sasori looked surprised. "Do you mean the sacred two?"

'_They're coming here?_' Kuro asked, turning his large head to the older beast.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Gaara held up his hands, tired of his confusion. "Who's coming?"

Niro lifted his head. '_Let us go down and welcome them in a more open space. You will find out soon my lord._'

The redhead growled out but conceded. They all headed down to the courtyard, joined by the five dragons. Neji crossed his arms. "I don't understand what's happening."

"Nobody does." Sakura grumbled.

Itachi walked over to the elder redhead. "Why didn't you ever tell me about him?" he pointed to Kogané.

"Because I wasn't supposed to." Sasori sighed. "Kogané is an ancient beast that has protected the kings of our county for centuries."

Kogané let out a low growl. '_Things are changing I fear…everyone is in for a stifling surprise._' He whispered, and Gaara could have sworn the dragon was looking at him. Before anything more could be said, there were a couple of loud shrieks that made all of them pale. Never had they heard anything like it before. Gaara and Neji drew their swords, looking around in alarm, but none of the dragons seemed to sense any immediate danger.

'_Put your weapons away masters._' Taira said, looking to the sky. '_The sacred two are here._'

Two black masses swam through the air, but Gaara didn't know how, since they didn't have wings. They looked like snakes, or eels, and when they landed on the stone court, everyone was wide eyed and all the dragons bowed their heads in respect. Even the riders and Sasori kneeled down from compulsion, all except for Gaara, who stared at them in awe.

'_Your Royal Excellency, Highly Exalted Among the Heavens, and favored by our Mistress the Queen. It is an honor to be in your presence. Oh, Master of the King of the Dragons._' They hissed, lowering their heads.

Kogané looked up in shock, '_Sacred Ones?_'

"Did they just call Gaara…well I'm not sure exactly." Sakura said, looking to her love.

Itachi's dark gaze was trained on the two entities before them. "I believe they said he was favored by the Dragon Queen." He said. "But there's no such thing. Is there?"

Both the slick serpents shifted their red gazes to the one who had spoken. Their forked tongues flicked out in interest. '_An Uchiha. Such a noble clan._' They complimented. '_But you are wrong. There is always a Dragon King and a Dragon Queen. Where did you think all the eggs came from?_'

"Honestly," Neji laughed. "I never really thought about it. They just arrived."

Sasori nodded. "The Sacred Serpents of the Queen always bring us the predestined eggs from the nest itself."

"But if Gaara is favored by the Dragon Queen, what about the King?" the pink haired rider asked.

The two serpents lowered their heads. '_The Dragon King was hunted down and murdered many years ago by Nardians…the rogues have been causing havoc ever since, and now the queen is falling into despair without her mate. She can no longer continue life, and will perish by the end of the week._'

Gaara went wide eyed. "But… where will the dragon eggs come from? What's going to happen?" he demanded.

The two chuckled, '_Be still young king, and calm your soul. The end of the dragons is no time soon. For we have come to deliver the queen's last eggs and reveal the new king dragon._'

"They called Gaara the Master of the King of Dragons. So that can only mean one thing." Itachi said, his gaze moving to the young redhead.

Red eyes trained on Gaara and then to his massive dragon behind him. Niro raised his head and met their gazes. '_The new King of the Dragons…is Niro._'

Sasori seemed to finally catch on. "Now hold on a second…"

'_You are correct in your assessment, King. There is a new ruler who will preside over these lands, the all-mighty Dragon King, Sabaku no Gaara. The first king to be master of the King Dragon. This has not occurred since the forming of Illium._'

Sakura went wide eyed. "So Gaara is higher than Sasori?" she asked.

"That's impossible!" the elder redhead yelled. "He is my younger brother by many years! And he is without child. It goes against everything we built!"

Both serpents roared out, making Sasori back away. '_You will stand down! And you will not tell us what the fates have ordained!_'

Gaara frowned. "But…Sacred Ones…it's true. And I do not feel at peace with a decision so unfair. It is my brother's right."

Taira made a loud growl, causing them all to look over at her. '_I hate to interrupt, but my masters, Sacred Ones…my lady is with child._'

Everyone's gazes turned to the pink haired rider, who looked just as shocked as they were. "Um…I didn't know either." She said, looking down and placing her hand over her stomach. "I haven't felt any different."

'_The child is not grown enough for you to experience the sickness most new mothers do yet, My Lady._' Taira said. '_But you have been with child since before your capture. That is why I was so adamant on preserving your life._'

"It also means that Gaara would be taking over the throne either way." Itachi said. "Since Sasori is without an heir, or a wife, even."

"But…" Sasori frowned, looking over at Sakura. "So Gaara…?" he sighed, glancing back at his brother, who was as white as a ghost. He looked more uncertain than when the serpents had informed him he would be the new king. His jade depths were focused on one thing and one thing only, Sakura's stomach, where supposedly his child was beginning to grow.

Sakura happened to look up and see her love's gaze. She frowned, lowering her hand. "Gaara?" she asked, walking over to him and cupping his face to get his attention. "Are you alright?" she searched his face then, barely concealed worry on her own.

"Um…yeah…" he swallowed, taking a step away from her. "I'm fine. I just…"

"Gaara?" Confusion entered her eyes as she lowered her hands. She could feel his emotions, but they were so skewed she couldn't decipher them. And it was very concerning.

"But…" he swallowed. His mind was swimming in chaos, since this was just too much to take in. "How can I…?" the redhead focused on the serpents once more. "This has to be a mistake. I can't be…Niro is…" he held his hand over his face. "I'm not a king, I'm just a warrior. I'm not ready to be…" he trailed off, but everyone knew he was thinking he wasn't ready to be a father.

Sakura smiled shakily. "It's okay." She said, stepping closer to him and grabbing his hand, holding it to her cheek and rubbing it soothingly. "I'm scared too."

There was an odd gagging sound and the group looked over to the serpents, who were each coughing up something that seemed to be lodged in their throats. Finally, they leaned over and two eggs slipped out of both of their mouths. Everyone went wide eyed. "Those…" Neji trailed off.

"Dragon eggs." Itachi frowned. But this didn't make any sense. There was not another generation to be passed on to. "I do not understand…" he began, only to be cut off by the snakes.

'_These are not the eggs of the chosen ones to come. They have not been breathed into yet. These four eggs…are a gift, to the ones entrusted with caring for her children. They will be the last offspring of the current queen. By the decree of the queen, Niro is to assume the role of King and govern the dragons and keep them under control, while his master takes his rightful place on the throne. And the king must choose his queen and take her to our mistress so she may bestow upon them longevity._'

Niro stood, his head rising to show his confidence. '_My mate, Taira, will be my queen, should she accept._' His strong voice echoed in all their heads.

'_I do._' Taira responded with a coo, raising her head as well.

'_Then you will accompany us to the queen. Both you and your riders. There is much to explain._' The serpents hissed, launching into the sky. '_Show us you are worthy and keep up._' They called, swimming off.

Without a second to lose, both Gaara and Sakura mounted their dragons and took off after the sky snakes, racing to keep up. They followed the two quite a ways, until they came upon a large waterfall. The serpents flew straight through the cascading liquid, and Niro and Taira did the same. Gaara and Sakura braced themselves for the cold water, shaking it off as they continued to move through the caverns.

'I didn't know this place existed.' Sakura thought as the cave opened up to a large cavern.

'_There are many mysteries in the world that you shall never know about, young rider._' A gentle, but firm voice echoed across their minds. Their gazes darted around the room, but they were unable to see anything. That is, until a dragon not much larger than Taira emerged from the shadows, her scales a faded green and her blue eyes full of the wisdom of her many years.

Niro and Taira landed, both dragons bowing their heads as their riders dismounted. '_My Lady._' They both said respectfully.

'_So young…dragons and riders…so very young._' The queen cooed as the serpents slipped around her in adoration.

'My Lady, if I may ask, why did you pick Niro?' Sakura questioned once she rose from her own bow.

The dragon shifted, its head slithering closer to the group. '_His heart is like my mate's. He is strong and loyal, everything Shinta was, possibly more._' she said, her voice turning sad. '_Now, on to more important matters. Since Niro has chosen Taira to be his queen I must bestow upon her the knowledge that every queen must have, as well as the longevity that they both need._'

Niro stepped forward with Taira beside him. '_Beloved Queen, we are ready for everything you have to offer.'_

'_Then live and rule with wisdom and strength. I give the two of you my blessing. May your time as King and Queen of the Dragons be a prosperous one._' She breathed out heavily, but instead of the smoke that normally would have wafted over the two dragons, a white, almost sparkling vapor came out. Niro and Taira closed their eyes and breathed it in, instantly feeling the changes coming over them. And when they opened their eyes, they saw that the old queen was curling up on the floor.

'_My_ _time on this earth is now over. I can finally join my Shinta in the afterlife._' She sighed, closing her eyes and breathing her final breath. And when her spirit had left her, her body slowly began to dissolve into the atmosphere, until it was no more.

A heat filled the cave, enveloping all the beings there with the scent of a warm hearth. Gaara and Sakura breathed in the hickory scent. The glow disappeared, and finally they were all left alone with the two servant serpents. They both bowed to the four, '_Your Majesties._'

"Well," Sakura sighed. "I think I've had enough excitement in this past week to last a lifetime."

Taira looked to her rider. '_Then brace yourself, for that is not all that must be revealed to you._' she said, looking to her mate. '_We should return to the palace._'

He nodded and gestured back to his rider. '_Come master. We have something to show you…I didn't understand it before, but now I know why things are changing. The dragon riders will never be the same._'

'_Never_.' Taira agreed as Sakura mounted her dragon.

The dragons made their way through the cave, dashing through the waterfall once more and then taking to the air, which unfortunately only made Gaara and Sakura freeze. Luckily, the natural warmth of the dragons was enough to keep them from getting ice on their clothing. 'Niro…' Gaara frowned. 'What exactly is it that you need to show us?'

'_The last four eggs must be distributed to those chosen by the old queen and then…I must show you what is to come, so that you are prepared._'

The redhead frowned. 'Is it bad.'

Niro glanced back with a small smirk. '_I would not say bad sire, only life changing. Things will never be the same again._'

He sighed and looked over to Sakura, who was staring off into the sky. His gaze lowered to her stomach and he thought about his child. His son. The next head dragon rider. Catching his thoughts, the pink haired warrior looked over and gave him a small smile. 'There is no need to worry. I have faith in you…my king.' She whispered across his mind.

A small smile made its way to his features and Gaara faced forward. Things were definitely changing for him, especially now that he would get to live with his wife. The woman he had finally admitted he loved.

They arrived at the palace once more, now joined by the caretakers of the dragons and Ino. When they landed, everyone seemed in awe, but Gaara couldn't tell why. They were staring at Niro and Taira like they looked different, but to him they still appeared as they always had. Once they had dismounted, both dragons walked over and picked one egg each before trotting over and offering it to their caretakers. Niro placed a stormy grey egg in the hands of Kiba, who was wide eyed and shocked. Taira set an orange egg in Naruto's trembling arms.

The two dragons went back, giving Sasuke a dark blue egg and Hinata a soft lavender one. '_These are yours._' Niro spoke, making all four go wide eyed. '_Raise them well and care for them as you have for us. Thank you._' he bowed his head.

The four nodded and bowed in return, still too shocked to say anything. Neji smiled at his cousin, but then seemed to grasp something. "Hold on…if those are the last eggs then…what of the dragon riders?"

Niro smirked, glancing over to the doorway as Kogané came back in, holding a large cloth filled with round objects. He set them carefully down in front of his new king and bowed to Niro and Taira. Gaara walked forward and undid the blanket, his eyes going wide. '_Yes._' The king dragon spoke. '_These are the next dragon rider eggs._'

"But there's six." The redhead said softly, examining them all. There was a red egg, a few shades lighter than Niro, two soft pink eggs that were joined together, a very large black egg, a sky blue egg, and a deep green one.

'_Correct master._' Niro chuckled. '_There will be six…a very odd arrangement as well, so we shall see what unfolds._'

Sakura looked confused. "But how?"

Taira was the one to speak this time. '_Just because my mistress was not indulging in the wonderful aspects of marriage does not mean I was not. Niro and I have always been intimate with each other and thus, the eggs came to be._'

She huffed, crossing her arms. "Yeah, yeah. No need to remind me." she grumbled. Then she sighed. "Everything we know has changed."

Gaara nodded, looking around at all the people he'd loved and then hated. It seemed the ways of the dragons wasn't the only thing that was going to change. "Come. Let's all go inside and spend the afternoon together, like we used to." He actually smiled.

They all agreed with their new king, going back inside the palace and leaving the dragons outside with one another. '_So, you are the rulers of all dragons._' Kuro said, smirking. '_How does it feel?_'

'_Different._' Taira said, nuzzling her mate before looking down upon her eggs. '_Like all things that have been revealed, this will take some getting used to. And this is just the beginning._'

'_Indeed._' Niro agreed, his gaze also trained on the six eggs lying on the grass. The eggs that would forever change the world of dragon riding as they knew it.

**THE END**

**COMING SOON:**

**CONSTANCY**


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